


Stupid Cupid

by Fuzzypurplestuff



Series: Stupid Cupid [1]
Category: Greek and Roman Mythology, One Direction (Band)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Homophobic Language, M/M, Mythical Beings & Creatures, Mythology - Freeform, but still
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-13
Updated: 2014-10-07
Packaged: 2018-02-17 06:54:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 38,818
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2300516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fuzzypurplestuff/pseuds/Fuzzypurplestuff
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In Greek mythology, Anteros was the god of requited love, literally "love returned" or "counter-love" and also the punisher of those who scorn love and the advances of others, or the avenger of unrequited love.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Strangers in the Night

**Author's Note:**

> A massive thank you to my beta/Britpickers  
> [Jess](http://thisismyoneluckyprize.tumblr.com/) and [Ittybird](http://ittybird.tumblr.com/)
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr at [Fuzzypurplestuff](http://fuzzypurplestuff.tumblr.com/)
> 
> I am not kind to Eleanor in this story, if that bothers you, you should probably not read it.

“Pssst.”

Louis Tomlinson was trying to sleep and some sort of buzzing thing had dared to invade his domain.

“PSST!”

“HGHGNNM.” Louis rolled over and pulled the pillow over his head.

“Louis.”

“....”

“Fine.”

“OW!” Louis sat bolt upright in bed grabbing his bum. “What the fuck!”

“I called you, like, ten times!”

Louis scrambled out of bed and fled to the other side of the room. “Who the hell are you? And what the fuck are you doing in my house?” He could make out the shape of a person sitting on the edge of his bed. The body was small and slender, like a young woman, but the voice sounded male. 

“Settle your jets. I’m not going to hurt you.” Definitely male. 

Louis squinted trying to see what he was dealing with. Unfortunately he had left his phone on his bedside table in his rush to get away. “How did you get in here? Fuck, never mind, just get the hell out, before I call the police.”

The shadow picked up his phone. “Well, since I have this, and I’m almost certain you aren’t hiding another one anywhere on your person . . . “

Now Louis was really worried. “You’re not a fan, are you?”

“Hardly, you’re not my type. The one with the curls though . . . ”

“You stay the hell away from Harry.” Louis took a step closer, very aware of his state of undress.

The boy laughed. “Oh, so you’re protective of him, are you? Interesting, considering.”

Louis took a step to his left, moving closer to the door. “Who are, you, and why are you in my bedroom? I don’t have any cash on me. I, um, I- there’s my–.”

“I’m not here to rob you, Louis.”  


“Then why the fuck are you in my– “ He stuttered to a stop when the boy moved bringing the outline of a bow into view. “Oh shit, fuck, what do you want?”

“Damn, you’re a jumpy little thing, aren’t you.” He laid the bow back on the bed.

“There’s a strange, armed, man in my bedroom in the middle of the night. Excuse the hell out of me if I don’t offer you a cup of fucking TEA!”

“Ooh, that might just hit the spot. You’re meant to brew a fine cuppa, no?”

Louis just blinked at him.

“Oh, fine.” The boy leaned over and turned on the bedside lamp.

Louis let out a very undignified shriek. “What the–“

The boy, and that’s mostly what he looked to be, was sitting on the bed, dressed in what could only be called a toga, his bow at his side, and what appeared to be large butterfly wings fluttering softly behind him.

Louis’ knees gave out and he slid to the floor.

“Well at least you didn’t pass out like the last one, I’ll give you that.” The boy– creature– thing–whatever, stood and picked up the trackies Louis had taken off before going to bed and threw them to where Louis was sitting on the floor staring at him. “Here, put some clothes on. I’m going to go make us that cup of tea.” It headed for the door but turned around before leaving the room. “Oh and don’t try to use the phone, it won’t work until I decide it needs to.”

It took Louis a few seconds before he could feel all his limbs. “It’s a dream. It’s a really vivid fucking dream.” He shook his head. He hadn’t touched anything other than alcohol since the situation with the Rovers had gone bad. He was still working to make it happen and didn’t want to give the FA any other reasons to reject him. Zayn got a real kick out of that one, but as long as Louis didn’t expect him to abstain as well, he was fine with it. So drug induced hallucinations were out of the question. He hadn’t had anything to drink or eat before going to bed, He’d had a relaxing day with Eleanor, before coming home and spending the evening in front of the telly. So, dream it is, maybe getting into bed was the thing to do. Go back to sleep and wake up tomorrow and have a laugh with Zayn about the weird fucking dream he had. 

Louis stood to go back to bed. Maybe he should see a specialist about his sleep walking.

“Are you coming, the tea is brewing?”

Louis shrieked again at the sight of his supposed dream standing in the door to his bedroom. “You’re a nightmare, fuck off!”

“Yeah, well, you’re not exactly my dream date either. Though I have to wonder why you still haven’t put those tracksuit bottoms on.”

Louis hurriedly pulled on the aforementioned clothes. “Who the fuck are you?”

“Come have a nice cup of tea and I’ll explain.” Once again it headed downstairs.

Louis looked at his phone, what could it hurt? He grabbed it and tried to turn it on. Nothing. He hit the button a few more times and the phone stayed dark. He ran over to where his tablet lay on the bedside table. Nothing. Laptop. Dead. Landline. Also dead. 

“Your tea is getting cold.” It called from downstairs.

Louis looked to the window and briefly considered climbing out, except he was on the second floor and there was nothing below him except the concrete patio. 

“Do you have any biscuits?”

Louis was beginning to panic. There was an armed, winged _thing_ in his kitchen and he couldn’t get past it to any of the doors unseen. “Okay, deep breath, Tommo.” He grabbed a hoodie from the dresser. “Now I’m talking to myself. Great. Just fucking perfect.” He opened his closet door hoping to find a weapon of some kind. Nothing. “Should have taken up golf like Harry.”

“Oooh, I like this kind.”

“Fuck it. It’s just a hallucination.” Louis turned and marched down stairs. He rounded the corner to his kitchen and was greeted by the sight of a large set of wings sticking out of his pantry. 

“You really do have a thing for cereal don’t you?”

“Get out of my house.”

The thing turned to face him. “Nope, sorry, can’t.”

“Of course you can. Door’s right there, feel free to walk or fly or whatever the fuck it is you do. Just get out.”

It turned around to face him a packet of rich teas in its hand. “Sorry, mate, not gonna happen.” It sat in one of the chairs at the kitchen island. “Have a seat. Tea’s quite good, if I do say so myself.” The large wings folded down against its back as it lifted its cup to its lips. 

“There’s something– I must be losing it. Right. Maybe I was poisoned while I was out today. That might make sense. We did have lunch, someone could have slipped something nasty into my food or tea then.” Louis paced around the kitchen. “WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE?”

The thing just blinked lazily at him. “If you would sit down, I might be able to explain this.”

“Nope.” Louis headed for the door, grabbing his keys on the way out.

“I knew this one was going to be a pain in the backside.” Was the last thing Louis heard before he slammed the door closed behind him.

 

**********

 

“ZAYN!” Louis rang the bell and banged on the door. “ZAYN! Open the fuck up!”  


The door was flung open violently, revealing a dishevelled and annoyed Zayn Mailk. “What the hell, Lou! It’s two in the fucking morning!”

Louis shoved past Zayn into the house shutting the door behind him and leaning against it. “I think I’ve been drugged, or maybe poisoned, I don’t know, but someone slipped me something and now I’m imagining boys in togas with fucking butterfly wings!”

Zayn shook his head and ran a hand over his face. “I– what?”

“BUTTERFLY WINGS, oh and did I mention the bow, and arrows, which by the way hurt when he jabs you in the arse with them!”

Zayn stepped closer to Louis reaching out to touch his friend’s face. “What did you take, Lou?”

Louis batted his hand away. “NOTHING! I told you, someone must have slipped me something. All I had today was lunch with El and then I made myself tea this evening. That’s it, not even a beer! He had wings, Z, and not like, dainty, little, fairy wings, but huge butterfly wings!” He threw his arms out as wide as they would go.

Zayn took Louis gently by the arm and led him into the kitchen. “Let’s have a cup of tea and you can catch your breath.” He soothed with the tone of one speaking to a lunatic.

“Zayn?” Perrie Edwards called from the top of the stairs. “Is everything okay, babe? Oh hey, Lou. You alright?”

“Everything’s fine, love.” Louis answered with a forced smile. “I just needed to talk to your boy for a mo. Sorry to wake you.”

Perrie looked to Zayn, clearly worried. He nodded. “S’okay, babes. We’re just gonna have a chat, you go back to sleep, I’ll be up in a while.”  


Perrie nodded, concern all over her face. “Okay, but if you need anything, you come get me, yeah?”

‘Thanks, love.” Louis followed Zayn into the kitchen.  


“So, Cupid showed up in your bedroom tonight is what you’re trying to tell me.” Zayn put the kettle on to boil before joining Louis at the table.

“Cupid is like, a fat baby with little fairy wings, this guy looked about fifteen, and did I mention the giant fucking butterfly wings!” Louis ran a hand through his hair. “It was so real, he was rummaging through my cupboards looking for biscuits, he made me a cup of tea, I could smell it!”

“Do you think we should get you checked out? This could be serious. A delusion that real seems a bit more than just a bit of food poisoning. Did you take a shot to the head playing football maybe?”

“No, I didn’t get hit in the head! I don’t know.” Louis dropped his head to the table. “It was just so real. He even– wait hold on.” He took his phone out of his pocket and tried it turn it on. His lock screen popped up much to his delight only to reveal a picture of the winged boy smiling and waving. Louis squeaked, threw the phone on the table and pushed his chair away. “It’s– fuck, Z, look.”

Zayn picked the phone up, his face the picture of concern. “Holy shit!”

“It’s not a hallucination.” Louis whispered.

Zayn cleared his throat. “Lou, you didn’t, you know–?“

“What, I didn’t what?”

“You didn’t go out and get wasted and bring some guy home with–?“

“NO!” Louis shot to his feet. “Jesus Christ. You think I brought some strange _guy_ home. A guy with wings?” 

“Lou–.”  


“No, it’s nice to know what you think of me.” Louis started for the door.

“Lou, stop.” Zayn caught him by the arm. “Wait.”

Louis shook himself free. “I have a girlfriend and I don’t cheat, and I don’t know if you noticed, but not only is he only about fifteen he’s a _guy_!”

“Yeah, well.”

“You know what, fuck you.”

“Lou, just hold it.” Zayn sighed. “I’m sorry but, a guy with wings and a bow?”

“Yes, and a toga.”  


“Not the most important part, Lou.”

“I need to call the police.”

“And say what? Do you know what would happen if the press got hold of this?”

“HE’S IN MY HOUSE!”

“He’s probably left by now. With everything you own, yeah, but he’s probably gone.” 

Louis wrapped his arms around himself. “Come with me?”

  


**********

 

The only visible lights as Zayn and Louis approached the house, were upstairs in the bedroom window. “The lights were all on downstairs when I left.” Louis whispered as they got out of truck.

“Well, that’s good, right, maybe he’s gone.” Zayn grabbed something from the back seat.

“Why do you have a cricket bat, by the way?”

“I don’t know where it came from. It was just in my stuff when I unpacked.” 

They walked slowly and quietly toward the front door. “I’m gonna open the door. You go in first.” Louis instructed.

“Why do I have to go in first?” Zayn protested.

“You have the ba–“ Louis found himself holding the wooden weapon. “Fine.” He sighed. “You open the door and I’ll go in with the bat.”

Zayn carefully pushed the door open. It was completely dark in the hallway. “We should have called Liam, he and Paddy could help.” 

“Shhh!” Louis raised the bat and slipped into the house, it was quiet and there were no signs of his earlier visitor. 

“Can you see anything?” Zayn asked, still outside the door.

“No. C’mon.” Louis moved further into the house with Zayn close on his heels.

“A cricket bat, really? A bit brutish isn’t it?”  


Louis jumped and Zayn showed off his high notes as they both stumbled back from the stairs. The winged boy was standing above them on the first landing.  


“Holy shit!” Zayn breathed. “He actually wears wings.”

“I don’t _wear_ wings, I _have_ wings. You know, like you _have_ the most amazing cheekbones in mortal existence.”

Louis brandished the cricket bat. “Get out!”

The boy brought his bow out from behind him. “Which do you think works better from five metres away? Hmmm?”

“Lou, drop the bat.” Zayn whispered from directly behind him.

“What? NO! It’s all we have.” Louis protested.

“He has a bow, and arrows, and wings.” Zayn argued.

Louis whipped around to face him. “What the fuck does him having wings have to do with anything right now.”

“I don’t know!” Zayn’s voice was about three octaves higher than usual. “I’ve never met anyone with wings before!”

“Are you two quite done?” Came a voice from directly behind them.

Both singers shrieked and the cricket bat went flying as they spun to face the boy who now stood less than a metre away.

“See!” Zayn said, pointing shakily. “Wings! The fucker can fly!”

The boy just rolled his eyes and picked up the bat. “Shall we have that cup of tea we missed earlier?”

Louis and Zayn exchanged slightly panicked looks but followed him into the kitchen. 

“So, how does everyone take their tea?”

Zayn slipped his phone out of his pocket and tried to turn it on.

“Oh, that won’t work again until I tell it to.” The boy at the stove said without even turning around.

Neither man made any attempt to get any closer to the armed stranger as he bustled about making tea.

“We could take him.” Louis whispered.

“Bow, arrows, giant fucking wings.” Was all Zayn said in return.

“I’m also a hell of a lot stronger than I look.” He turned to face the two friends. “Sit, drink.”

Zayn and Louis edged toward the island.

“Look, I’m not here to hurt you, not really. If you attack me, I’ll defend myself, but right now, just sit down.”

They sat, close together on the opposite side of the island from the intruder.

“Okay, first off, I’m not a hallucination.”

“No shit, since we both see you.” Louis snapped.

“I’m also not here to steal anything from you.”

“Who are you? I mean, you have wings, and bow, and a- is it called a toga?” Zayn asked a bit timidly.

“No, it’s not a _toga_ it’s a chiton.” The younger man took a biscuit and dipped it in his tea. “My name is Anteros, but you can call me Ant.”

“I–“ Louis looked at Zayn completely lost.

Zayn shrugged. “Is that name supposed to mean something to us, mate?”

“Probably not, but you may have heard of my brother, Eros.”

Zayn choked on his tea. “As in the Greek god of desire?”

Anteros nodded happily, shoving another biscuit in his mouth. “That’s him.”

Louis snorted. “You want us to believe that your brother is a god.”

“Uh, Lou.”

“What?” He snapped turning to Zayn. “He’s so full of shit.”

“Yeah, okay, but if his brother’s a god then he most likely is too.”

Louis rolled his eyes. “Yeah, okay.” He got up and walked quickly around the island. “I’ve had enough.” He made to grab one of the brightly coloured wings only to have it snap back at him, clipping him in the head. “Ouch, fuck, what the hell is the matter with you?”

“Me? I’m not the one running around grabbing other people’s wings.”

“No fucking kidding, because other people don’t have WINGS!” Louis made another grab, convinced they were mechanical. They were soft and warm and fluttered when he touched them. He pulled, hard.

“OW! That hurt!” Anteros stood up brandishing his bow and pulling an arrow from his quiver.

“Oh, please, put that down.” Louis made to swat at the weapon.

“Touch me again and I’ll pin you to the wall.” The young god’s voice was cold and deadly.

“Oh really?”

Anteros nocked the arrow “Yes, really.”

Louis took a step back. “You wouldn’t shoot me.”

“I don’t _want_ to shoot you. There’s a difference.”

“Lou.” Zayn grabbed his friend’s arm and pulled him away. “C’mon. No one needs to get pinned to anything.”

Louis stood his ground. “I want to see how the wings work.”

Anteros sighed. “Fine, but if you touch me, be warned it will not end well for you, or Zayn having to explain how you managed to get pinned to your own kitchen wall like a bug.” He turned his back on them, removed his quiver and spread his wings. 

His tunic was cut under the wings, so it was easy to see where they connected to his back and shoulders. They blended seamlessly into the skin and Louis and Zayn could see the muscles working to keep them extended. He closed them and reopened them making it very obvious there was noting mechanical involved. They were real. He had wings.

Louis stumbled back running into Zayn. “How– I don’t–“ He turned and looked at his band-mate who looked just as confused and frightened as he did.

“As I was saying, my name is Anteros, you may call me Ant. I am charged with avenging unrequited love among other things.”

Zayn let out a low. “Oooh.”

Louis turned on him. “What oooh, what’s that mean?” He turned back to Anteros. “So you’re what, like Cupid?”

Zayn laid a hand on Louis shoulder. “Cupid was Roman, and more the equivalent of Eros. They were gods of desire.” He looked at Anteros. “You’re here about, um–.” He stuttered to a stop, not sure how much he should say..

Anteros grinned at Zayn. “Yup, you got it gorgeous.” He nodded at Louis. “This one is on my naughty list.”

“WOULD SOMEONE PLEASE TELL ME WHAT’S GOING ON?” Louis shouted, finally losing what little patience he had left.

“You, are my next assignment.”

“What, why? I’ve been a good boyfriend to Eleanor, we’re happy and in love. There’s no unrequited love there.”

“Well, there are several things wrong with that sentence, but this doesn’t really involve Miss Calder, except tangentially.”

“How can it not involve her? She’s the one I’m in love with.”

“Uh huh.” Anteros nodded dismissively. “Look, why don’t we all get some sleep. Zayn can go home to the lovely Perrie and you and I can talk more in the morning.”

Louis turned to Zayn. “If you leave me here alone with him, I’ll make sure you get all the fan duty for the next six months.”

“Harry wouldn’t let you do that.”

“Harry isn’t the boss of me.” Louis turned to glare when he heard Anteros snort, only to find the young god innocently studying his bow.

“He wouldn’t make me do that, he almost always takes my turn.” Zayn stated confidently.

“Yeah, well, Harry’s nicer than me.”

“No shit.”

“But if I were to tell him say, that you did something that really upset and scared, or maybe even endangered me. . .?”

Zayn hung his head in defeat. “Fine, but you’re coming to mine. I’ve hardly got any time with Perrie this break.”

 

**********

 

“Did you really think it would matter where you slept?” 

Once again Louis awoke to find the winged boy sitting on his bed. He sat bolt upright and looked at the clock. It was a little past noon and he was still tired, he and Zayn having stayed up convincing themselves that they had shared a delusion brought on by acute exhaustion and that winged gods were just a figment of their imaginations.

“Well?” The figment asked. “Are you going to say something?”

“You,” Louis poked the winged boy in the chest. “Do not exist. I made you up and am having a breakdown of some sort.”

“You would rather be having a breakdown than admit I’m really here?”

Louis nodded emphatically. 

“Yeah, well, good luck with that.”

Louis groaned. “Why are you here?”

“I told you, I am the avenger of unrequited love, among other things.”

“But I’m not in love with someone who doesn’t love me back.”

“I am aware of that.”

“Then I ask again, why are you here?” Louis all but whined.

“I never said you were the one whose love was unrequited.” Anteros stood. “C’mon, get dressed, we need to get back to your house.”

Louis flopped over in bed. “No.” He sat right back up. “What do you mean I’m not the one whose love is unrequited. Whose is then?”

“Get up, get dressed, we go to your house and we have a chat. Tis the way it’s going to work.” Anteros headed to the door and just seemed to shimmer out of sight.

Louis bolted out of bed and sprinted downstairs to find Zayn on the sofa looking a little worse for the wear. “He was just in my room!” He yelled as he skidded to a stop.

Zayn hung his head. “Shit, you are here, I was hoping it was just a really vivid dream.” He looked up at Louis. “Did he still have wings?”

Louis nodded. “Yeah, and he said I have to go home so we can talk. Come with me?”

“Lou, I can’t, you heard him last night, he wants to talk to you alone.”

“But why? I don’t get it. I haven’t done anything. He says my love isn’t unrequited, so why is he here making my life miserable?”

“I’m sure he’ll tell you.” Zayn avoided making eye contact.

“Wait a minute.” Louis pointed at his friend. “Last night you talked like you knew what this was about.”

“No I didn’t.”

“Yes! When he told us what he was all godly about you acted like you knew what he meant.”

Zayn shook his head. “Nope, no idea.” He stood. “Look, I uh– Perrie and I have a thing this afternoon so I gotta get, you know.” Zayn practically ran from the room.

“Are you ready to go?” 

Louis jumped and turned to face Anteros. “Do you have to fucking do that!” He looked down at himself, he was wearing the trackies from last night and a t-shirt Zayn had leant him. He sighed. “Let me get my shoes.”

“Perfect, I’ll meet you there.” Once again he shimmered out of sight.

 

**********

 

“So, you’re saying someone is in love with me?” Louis sipped his tea. He had arrived home to find Anteros had arranged for takeaway for dinner.

“Yes.”

“You do realise there are quite literally millions of girls worldwide who fancy themselves in love with me, right?”

“People.”

Louis looked up from his plate. “What?”

The young god pushed his own plate away. “It’s people, there are millions of people world wide who fancy blah blah blah. Some of them aren’t girls.” 

“Yeah, well whatever. It doesn’t matter, I sure as hell can’t love them all back.”

“You really think I would be here, taking this crap from you, if the victim was a fan?”

Louis shrugged. “No one is stopping you from leaving.” He frowned. “And victim, really?”

“Maybe a bit dramatic but not far off the mark.”

Louis snorted. “Please, a victim is someone who’s been hurt or damaged by something or someone.”

“Okay, so, not that dramatic then.”

“Wait, what? You’re saying I hurt someone?”

“Loving someone who you believe doesn’t love you back is painful. Why do you think I have a job?”

“Yeah, but avenging unrequited love isn’t your only gig.”

“No, it isn’t.”

“Who– I mean, I would know if someone loved me so much it would get the attention of a god. Wouldn’t I?”

Anteros smiled softly. “Sometimes it is very difficult for us to see those things we don’t want to believe.”

“But I still don’t understand why you’re here. Am I meant to apologise to someone, to make them feel better about me not loving them?”

Anteros sighed. “Not exactly.”

“Then what? You say you avenge unrequited love, what do I have to do to make you go away?”

“First of all, rude, second, as you said avenging isn’t my only gig.”

“But you said that’s why you’re here.”

“Yes and no. Yes I am here about unrequited love, that’s what got my attention, but I am also the god of requited love.”

“And I’m really fucking confused.” Louis fiddled a bit with his hair. “So, you’re here because someone is in love with me.”

“Correct.”

“Someone I don’t love back.”

“Erm, well that’s where it might get a bit confusing.”

“I– you got that right, I’m confused, because the only person I’m in love with, who loves me, is Eleanor.”

Anteros shook his head, “Yeah, no.”

“Yeah, yes. I love Eleanor, she loves me. End of.” Louis set his jaw and crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“So when you told her you just wanted a few days to, what was the word you used, decompress, before she came to visit, that was you showing your undying devotion?”

“I’ve been on tour, we work hard, I needed a little down time.”

“You went to L.A. with Harry.”

“Yeah, and he has a great house there. It’s in this massive gated place and no one can find us there unless we want them to.”

“And there’s nowhere you could have gone with Eleanor that would have allowed you the same privacy? Or why not take her to L.A.?”

Louis’ nose twitched. “Mmnnn no, she and Harry don’t really get on that well.”

“Really? I thought he was the one who introduced you two?”

“Pffft, no. That was just some stupid idea cooked up by our PR people.”

“That seems– odd.”

Louis shrugged. “It was no big deal, they like the idea of Harry finding the perfect girl for me. Made a good story.”

Anteros winced. “Yeah, peachy. So how did you meet her?”

“Don’t you already know all this stuff?”

“I know what I could find on the internet.?”

“You’re a god and you use the internet.”

“Yes. Now, how did you meet Eleanor?”

“One of our managers introduced us.”

“Ahhh.”

“What ahh? So what, she’s great.”

“So why don’t she and Harry get on?”

“I don’t know why she doesn’t like him. She just never has.”

“Do most people not get on with Harry.”

Louis laughed. “I thought you went on the internet. Everyone who meets him basically wants to either adopt or marry him.”

“Except Eleanor.”

“Yeah well. . .”

“And is it normal for Harry to dislike someone like that.”

“Well to be fair, Harry probably has a good reason.”

Anteros eyebrows shot up. “Oh?”

“She kind of, well– it mostly sucks really, but she absolutely _hates_ the rumours about me and Harry.”

“Rumours?” Anteros asked, almost too innocently.

“Exactly where were you on the internet? Yeah, there’ve been rumours about me and Harry from back when we first got together.”

“You and Harry?”

“No! One Direction.”

“Ahh. So the rumours?”

“A few of our fans thought that Harry and I were a couple, some still do. It makes El crazy.”

“Why?”

“She says it’s demeaning to her for people to think our relationship isn’t real.”

“Okay. So these people, are there a lot of them?”

Louis shrugged one shoulder. “I don’t know, I guess.”

“And they say things to Eleanor.”

Another shrug. “Not much, really. I mean sometimes.”

“And it bothers her?”

Louis nodded. “Yeah, I mean I get it, a bit, sort of. People thinking she’s my beard kinda sucks for her, but to me it’s the ones that want her to die, or the ones who tell her all the ways the want to have sex with me, that are really creepy. She gets a lot more of those than stuff from the Larry people.”

“Larry people?”

“Are you sure you even Googled me? Yeah, that’s what the fans called us, Larry Stylinson.”

“That’s– cute.”

“It is what it is. It never really bothered us. But El just goes nuts whenever she sees anything about it, she gets so upset and even after I talked about it not being true, the fans just won’t let it go. I’ve tried everything.”

“Have you really?” Anteros asked skeptically. “So has she said anything to Harry? Is that why he’s not fond of her?”

“No, I don’t think so.”

“Then why?”

“She asked me to stop doing the stuff that made the fans think he and I were together.”

“And did you?”

“Only a bit at first, maybe not being quite so cuddly and stuff. But it didn’t make a difference to the fans.”

“So then what happened?”

“She asked me to move out?”

“You were living with her?”

“No. I was living with Harry.”

“And you just moved out.”

“Yeah. I know it was a dick move, but she like, cried every time someone even mentioned me and Harry. She hated coming over to our house. She’s my girlfriend!”

“Mmmm. So Harry didn’t understand?”

“Oh, no, Harry was great. He was really cool about the whole thing. It wasn’t until a bit later that things changed.”

“What happened later?”

Louis fiddled with his fringe, looking more than a bit guilty. “She made me promise that I would make the fans think that all the stuff about him and me had changed our friendship. So maybe they’d stop if they thought what they were saying was hurting us.”

“And how were you meant to do that?”

“I’m not allowed to hang out with him publicly and I don’t talk to him on stage.”

Anteros just stared at Louis, waiting.

“I KNOW! Okay. It sucks and I’m a shit friend! But she’s my girlfriend!”

“Yeah, but, wow. That’s a lot to ask.”

Louis hung his head. “Harry was so great about it, you know, he just nodded, hugged me and said I should do whatever I needed to do to be happy.”

“Sounds like a pretty good friend.”

“The best.”

“But now he hates Eleanor.”

“I don’t think I’d say hate. He just chooses to never be around her.”

“Can’t say as I blame him.”

“Me neither really. It’s so hard, he’s the best friend I’ve ever had. We got on from the first second we met, you know. It was like I had always had a space just waiting for him.”

“Sounds like you’re lucky to have him.”

“I really am.”

“I guess I just don’t get why you would be willing to pretend not to be his friend just because of what a few strangers say.”

“ I just–“ Louis stopped and glared at the winged boy. “Wait a minute, how did you know I went to see Harry in LA?”  


Anteros shrugged.

“No one knew. I flew private, landed at Bob Hope, no one knew I was there except Harry, Jeff and Cal. It was never on the internet where I was.”

“Well, I maaaay have um, I can– Oh screw it. I know everything. I’ve seen everything.”

“Then why ask me about all that?”

“Mostly I wanted to hear you say out loud, that you had let people you have never and will never meet, make you hurt the best friend you’ve ever had.” With that Anteros shimmered out of sight.


	2. Working My Way Back to You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Return of The Tommo, and Louis has a surprise visitor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A massive thank you to my beta/Britpickers  
> [Jess](http://thisismyoneluckyprize.tumblr.com/) and [Ittybird](http://ittybird.tumblr.com/)
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr at [Fuzzypurplestuff](http://fuzzypurplestuff.tumblr.com/)

Chapter 2

“So, Lou, how’s your houseguest?” Zayn asked as they boarded the plane for the start of the North American leg of their Where We Are tour.

“You had company?” Harry flopped into the seat next to Louis. “How come I didn’t get to meet them last night?”

“Zayn thinks he’s funny.” Louis answered with a glare at Zayn. “It wasn’t a guest, it was more like an infestation.”

Harry sat up straight. “What? Ants or mice or summat?”

“More like butterflies.” Zayn chuckled as Louis threw a pillow at him.

“Don’t worry about it. It seems to have sorted itself out.”

Zayn’s eyebrows shot up. “Really, you got rid of it?”

Louis nodded. “Yup, apparently the problem wasn’t as bad as we thought. It just– vanished.”

Zayn didn’t look convinced. “Really. It just– left?”

“Yeah, we had a- uh- confrontation and poof, gone.” 

Harry laid a hand on Louis arm. “Is everything okay?”

Louis patted Harry’s hand. “The problem wasn’t as bad as I first thought. It’s all taken care of now.”

“Yeah. . .” Zayn hesitated, with a look at Louis hand where is still lay on Harry’s. “I wouldn’t bet on that one Lou.”

Louis waved dismissively. “Pfttt, no worries for me. I handled it.”

Zayn shook his head and settled into his own seat across from Harry and Louis. “Whatever you say, Tommo.” He watched as Harry and Louis put their heads together Louis laughing at whatever it was Harry was showing him on his phone. “Yeah, I don’t think we’ve seen the last of the butterflies.” He muttered to himself. 

 

**********

 

“Infestation?”

“FUCKING HELL!” Louis jumped and spun around. He had just arrived at his Toronto hotel room. 

Anteros grinned. “You really are a jumpy little thing aren’t you.”

Louis dropped to the bed and hid his face in his hands. 

“It won’t do any good, I’m not going anywhere.” Anteros chuckled.

“Why are you here?”

“You called me an infestation.”

“If the wings fit.” Came the muffled reply. 

“I notice you didn’t tell Harry about me.”

Louis glared up at him. “I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of my best friend thinking I’m a complete nutter, plus he’d worry.”

“You told Zayn.”

“That’s different.”

Anteros raised an eyebrow. “Really? How?”

“I don’t fucking know, it just is, okay!”

“Hmmm.”

Louis sat up. “What do you mean, hmmm? You know what, never mind, just go away.” 

Anteros sat on the bed next to him. “Sorry, no can do. I have a problem to solve, and solve it I will.”

“WHAT PROBLEM?” Louis stood and began to pace. “If you won’t tell me what the problem is, I can’t help you solve it and get you the hell out of my life.”

“I told you, I am the god of–“

“Unrequited blah blah blah. I got that. So, who thinks she’s in love with me, and what can I do to make it go away?”

“I don’t show up when someone just thinks they’re in love. Someone is very much in love with you and it is making– erm, them miserable.”

“But that’s not my fault. I can’t help if someone loves me.” Louis smirked at the bewinged god. “I am pretty damn loveable.”

“What you are is a dickhead.”

“Oi!”

“You think it’s funny that loving you is causing someone pain?”

“NO! Of course not. But I still don’t see what I can do about it.” Louis threw up his hands. “I can’t– hold up, this is someone I know isn’t it?”

Anteros blinked innocently. “What makes you say that?”

“You said they are very much in love with me. You have to know someone to be in love with them.”

“Or at least think you do.” The god muttered.

“What?”

“Nothing. But yes, this person knows you well enough to truly be in love with the actual you.”

“Who.” Louis asked, concern now filling his voice. “I mean, I don’t want to hurt anyone.”

“You’re not ready to be told yet.”

“Arrgh.” Louis grabbed his hair with both hands. “How will I fix the problem if I don’t know who she is?”

“In time. Oh, hey, did you ever talk to Eleanor about the Harry thing?”

“What? Where did that come from?”

“It was the last thing we talked about, last time we met. I just wondered.” Anteros flapped his wings brushing Louis lightly sending a shiver up the human’s spine.

“Yeah, actually, I did.” 

“You– really?”

Louis nodded. “Yeah, I told her how hard it is, and that it makes things weird for everyone on stage and that I hate doing that to Harry.”

“And. . . ?

“She got really upset.”

“So she felt bad about what she’d done?” Anteros asked, doubtfully.

Louis looked down at his feet. “No, she got pissed off at me and started to cry, saying I didn’t really love her if I was more worried about how Harry felt than about people thinking she isn’t my real girlfriend.”

“And you caved.”

“She’s my girlfriend!”

“Oh grow a fucking spine!” The furious God’s wings spread until they seemed to fill the room.

“You don’t know how upset she gets. It’s really awful for her. She loves me and people keep calling her names and saying I don’t love her.”

“So because a few strangers are mean to her, she makes you hurt your best friend, and mess with not only your career, but those of your friends? Do I have this right?”

Louis looked up at this. “I– it– I never thought of it that way.”

“What sets you guys apart from other groups of cute boys who sing good music?”

“I don’t know, people like us?”

“Mhmm.”

Louis sighed. “I know, they love our group dynamic. But–“

“But what? This is your job, Louis. It strikes me as odd that your managers have never mentioned how you’ve changed on stage.”

“What?”

‘Compared to how much fun you used to have? You know the fans are talking about it.”

“Yeah, we see it online all the time.”

“So, just do me one favour.”

“Maybe.” Louis hedged.

“Tomorrow night’s show, don’t worry about everyone else, just about you and your boys up there on stage. Have fun, be yourself, thrill the audience, see how it feels.”

“But–‘

“Just see what happens. It’s one show.” Anteros brought his wings around to touch Louis’ shoulder once again, this time causing a powerful feeling to flow through him.

“How do you do that?”

“That’s not actually me.”

Louis reached out. “May I?”

Anteros nodded, smiling and brought his wings back within reach.

Louis brushed the back of his hand against the soft wing. Once again the feeling flowed over him, a powerful sensation of love and peace and safety and an almost overwhelming sense of home, he sighed and reluctantly drew his hand back with a smile.. “That’s just amazing. But if it’s not you, what is it?”

“That’s the reason I’m here. The person who loves you? That’s their feelings for you.”

“That’s– that’s a lot of love.”

Anteros smiled. “It really is.”

 

**********

 

“That was so fucking amazing!” Louis yelled when he entered his hotel room and saw Anteros standing by the window.

“So, you enjoyed yourself?”

Louis nodded happily. “I’d forgotten how much fun Harry is on stage.”

“You seemed to have a good time with everyone.”

Louis shrugged out of his sweaty shirt and threw it on the chair. “It was kinda nice not to have to think about every single thing I said or did.”

“Have you checked to see how the fans felt about it?”

“Yeah. Twitter’s kinda going crazy. They all said it reminded them of the first tour.” He giggled. “Said they half expected me to show up in braces for the encore.”

“How about the other boys?”

“They had fun too. It was great, made me remember how much I love to perform.”

“What about Harry?”

Louis stopped. “I don’t know?”

“What do you mean, he was there wasn’t he?”

“Well, yeah, and he was amazing like he always is, but I didn’t get to talk to him after the show.”

“Why not?”

“He ran off right away. We usually head back together but tonight he was gone almost as soon as we got off stage, he didn’t hang around at all.”

“Does he do that often?”

“What, leave right away? No, hardly ever.”

Anteros’ brow furrowed. “Hmm.” 

“What, hmm?”

“You did discuss this with him before hand, right?”

“I– no, I didn’t really think about it.”

Anteros sighed and shimmered out of sight.

 

**********

 

Louis was just climbing out of the shower when there was a knock on his hotel room door. He wrapped himself in a towel, checked the peephole then threw open the door. “Harold!”

“Hey, Lou, you got a minute?” Harry had already showered and changed. His curls were still damp and he was dressed in a t-shirt and tracksuit bottoms.

Louis stepped aside. “‘course, mate, c’mon in.” He grabbed a pair of pyjama bottoms from his suitcase. “Gimme a minute?”

Harry waved him away and when Louis came back from the bathroom Harry was sitting on the bed looking at his phone,.

“What’s up?” Louis asked running a towel over his wet hair. “You alright, you took off kinda fast after the show?”

Harry set his phone aside. “What was that out there tonight?”

“What?”

“On stage, what was going on?” 

Louis threw the wet towel into the bathroom. “What do you mean.“

Harry stood up and went to the sliding glass door that led out onto the balcony, it was open slightly and they could hear the fans gathered outside the hotel cheering and singing. “You spoke to me, you told me jokes, hell, you actually touched me. On stage. In front of everyone.”

Louis was surprised to hear a touch of anger in Harry’s voice. “And that’s a problem?” He moved to stand next to the taller man, wanting to be able to see his face.

“You have barely acknowledged that I exist on this tour and spent the last one making damn sure everyone thought we weren’t really friends anymore, and now all of a sudden we’re back to- to– whatever that was out there?”

“But it was fun! It was just like when we were first on tour.” Louis insisted brightly.

“But why? What changed? Why all of a sudden am I allowed back into the–“ Harry stopped and ran a slightly shaky hand through his already dishevelled hair.

Louis stepped closer. “Back into the what?” He reached out to touch Harry’s shoulder only to have the younger man step out of reach. “Harry?”

“It isn’t fair, Lou, make up your mind. I’m either in or out. You can’t just spring something like this on me.”

“I don’t understand. I thought you’d be happy?”

Harry snorted. “Before the last tour you came to me upset, Eleanor just couldn’t handle the rumours about us, couldn’t handle that people thought her boyfriend was gay. You asked me if I would be okay with changing the way we were on stage, maybe just keep a bit more distance, not so many whispers, maybe less touching.” He held up a hand when Louis made to interrupt. “And I hated it, but you needed to do it to make Eleanor happy, I got that. I really do understand, you love her, this hurts her, so, okay. I tried to tell you it was only making things worse but she insisted and this tour things intensified because it wasn’t just me, it was you being you that was the problem. You had to change the way you acted, be less– you. But tonight it was like we’d taken a trip back in time, I felt like I had my best friend back out there, it was like we got to have the real Louis Tomlinson with us again and I probably would have enjoyed it if I had any clue what the hell was going on!”

Louis sat heavily on the bed. “Shit, I’m sorry, love, I didn’t even think. I just wanted to let go, you know. Not worry about how flamboyant I am, or whether or not I looked at you a little too long, or stood too close when we talked. I just wanted to remember what it was like to love being on stage again.”

Harry sat next to him on the bed. “Why didn’t you just tell me.”

“To be honest, I just didn’t think. I just– I guess I just wanted to go out there and be myself again without having to think about it. I’m so sorry, I know I shouldn’t have sprung that on you.” He threaded his arm through Harry’s and leaned into him. “But it was fun, yeah?”

Harry bumped his shoulder gently and squeezed his arm. “It’ll be more fun tomorrow when I know what to expect.”

Louis nodded happily.

Harry toed off his slippers and swung his feet up onto Louis’ bed. “So, how’re you gonna make it up to me.”

Louis laughed. “What would you suggest?”

“Hmmm, let me think.” Harry waggled his eyebrows. “How about, dinner and a film?”

“I got crisps and Fifa.”

“Sold.”

“You always have been a cheap date.” Louis grabbed the snacks and the game controllers.

“Only for you, sweet cheeks.”

Louis snorted. “Well then, aren’t I the lucky one.”

Harry took one of the bags of crisps and one of the controllers with a wink. “You are. But my love for you does not extend to Fifa, so prepare to be humiliated.”

Louis grinned broadly and joined him on the bed. “It’s on.”

 

**********

 

“Good morning sunshine!”

“What is it with you and my sleep?” Louis rolled over and glared up at a grinning Anteros. “Does it offend you?” 

“It’s after eleven!”

“I didn’t go to sleep until after four!” He glanced nervously at the pillow next to his.

“Harry left about half-an-hour ago.” 

Louis sighed and sat up. “What is it now?”

“I’m just curious about something.”

“Yes?”

“Why haven’t you mentioned me to Harry?”

“What?”

“You two sat here for hours last night talking about nothing and you never told him about me.”

“So.” Louis got up and headed for the bathroom. 

Anteros waited until after he heard the toilet flush. “So, he’s your best friend, right?”

Louis poked his head around the corner, tooth brush clamped between his teeth. “Mhmm.”

“So why not tell him about me. It just seems, I don’t know, weird.”

Louis took a few minutes to finish brushing his teeth. “I told you why. He’d worry himself sick. He’s always been very- erm overprotective of me, all of us really. He wants everyone to be happy all the time, and goes into overdrive trying to make that happen. If I told him I had a Greek god harassing me–“

“OI!”

“Because someone is apparently in love with me and I’m– what exactly am I supposed to do about this again? Anyway, he would fret and worry and fuss and he just doesn’t need that.”

“Sounds like he isn’t the only protective one.”

“We look after each other.”

“Hmm. So what happens tonight?”

“Huh?”

‘Tonight, the show, on stage?”

Louis sighed and sat back down on the bed. “Last night was so amazing. I just felt so good up there, you know. Like it used to be. I wasn’t thinking about every move I made or how I held my hands or what I looked like when I danced or what I said or who I talked to. I could just perform. It felt so good.”

“But?”

“But, I promised Eleanor.”

Anteros sat beside him allowing his wing to drape across Louis’ back causing the singer to visibly relax. “Have you explained to her how difficult it is for you?” He held up a hand when Louis began to speak. “Not how much it hurts Harry, or how hard it makes it for the other boys. But how much it takes away from you to not be able to be yourself out there.”

“I– I don’t–“ Louis leaned into the wing. “I guess I just worry more about how it makes Ha– the others feel.”

“Yes, but you’re the one she’s meant to be in love with. So it stands to reason that she would be willing to put your happiness first, right? That’s what you’ve been doing for her for the better part of three years.”

“I half expected to wake up to a dozen messages from her after she saw what last night was like and what all the fans are saying.” Louis scrubbed a hand over his face. “But you’re right. I need to tell her how hard this is for me. She’ll understand.”

“Of course she will. If she loves you, she’ll want what makes you happy.”

Louis nodded firmly. “You’re right. Now get out.”

“Hey!”

“I need to have a shower and I don’t want to do it with you in the room.”

Anteros stood up and planted his hands on his hips. “And why not.”

“Dunno, it’s just creepy.”

Anteros stuck out his tongue and shimmered out of sight.

 

**********

Louis was just about ready to head out for sound check when there was knock on his door. “Ha, fooled you this time, Harold, I’m actually ready to go!” He flung the door open and his jaw dropped. 

Eleanor stepped into the room and threw her arms around him. “Surprise!”

Louis took a step back. “I– what- uh–“ He shook his head. “What are you doing here?”

Eleanor dropped her handbag on the bed. “I missed you.”

“You saw me the day before yesterday.”

Eleanor’s face fell. “Oh. I thought– I just thought you’d be happy to see me.” Her eyes filled with tears.

“Oh, babe of course I’m happy to see you, I’m just surprised is all. I thought you had loads of job interviews lined up for this week?” Louis drew her back into his arms.

“I– uh, yeah I–“ There was a knock at the door.

Louis kissed her on the forehead. “Hold that thought.” He opened the door to reveal Harry.

“Hey, you ready to go? Everyone–“ Harry stopped suddenly. “Eleanor. I didn’t know you were here.”

Eleanor ignored Harry and turned back to Louis. “You’re going somewhere?”

Louis glanced at Harry then back to Eleanor. “Uh, yeah, we have sound check and then we’re going to go get a bite to eat.”

“Oh, well, I guess I’ll just stay here. . .?”

Louis shook his head. “Don’t be ridiculous, you’ll come to sound check and then to dinner, yeah?” He took her hand. “It’s nothing we haven’t done dozens of times before.”

Eleanor smiled and kissed his cheek. “Sounds perfect.”

Louis turned back to Harry only to discover he was back out in the hall on his phone. “You ready, H?”

“Uh, yeah, look Lou, I- um, I’m gonna go catch up with Zayn. There’s- um- something he wants to talk to me about. I’ll see you there, yeah?” He took off before Louis even had a chance to answer.

“Well I see nothing’s changed there.” Eleanor sniffed. “He still acts like I have some horrible disease.”

“To be fair, you weren’t exactly warm and fuzzy to him either.”

Eleanor looked down. “I know, and I’m sorry. But you know every time I see him I just remember all those horrible things people say to me about you two.”

“But, love, you know that’s not his fault.”

“Hmm.” She tucked her hair behind her ear and leaned into him. “I can’t help how I feel.”

“He’s my best friend, El, he’s important to me.”

“More important than me?” She pouted.

“One has nothing to do with the other.”

“Well it does to me.” Eleanor snapped. “You broke your promise.”

“What?”

“Your promise, last night, you and Harry, flirting all over the stage? Ring any bells?”

“What are you talking about? We weren’t flirting. I don’t flirt with Harry and he doesn’t flirt with me.”

“I’m not even going to bother arguing that point with you. But you promised me you would make sure those horrid, deluded, Larry people wouldn’t have any more ammunition and then I go online last night and there’s video of you and Harry, whispering and giggling with each other. How do you think that makes me feel?”

“El– wait, you stayed up– it was like- four am back home when we got off stage, what time did you stay up until?”

“Maybe it was this morning. It doesn’t matter. You broke your promise.”

Louis shook his head. “You’re telling me, that first thing this morning you checked out videos of last night’s show, and then got on a plane to come here?”

“I was hurt and upset. You promised!”

“Oh for– . It was one show! I had fun. I–“ 

“Hehhm.”

Louis turned to see who was clearing their throat. Alberto stood in the hall. “I know, I’m coming.” He turned back to Eleanor. “Are you still coming?”

She grabbed her bag. “We haven’t finished this conversation.” With that she marched out of the room and down the hall.

Louis sighed heavily and ran his hand over his face.

“You alright, Lou?” Alberto asked softly.

“No, mate. No, I’m not.”

 

**********

 

The journey to Rogers Centre was a chilly one. Eleanor thankfully having decided that she didn’t want to continue their fight in front of the others. By the time they got backstage everyone was feeling a bit on edge. 

Louis left Eleanor with Lou and Caroline and escaped to the bathroom. He was splashing water on his face when Anteros appeared behind him. “Not now.” He snapped at the bewinged god.

“Well, I can see why you stay with her. She clearly brightens every room she enters.”

“Oh, fuck off, every couple has fights.”

“Mhmm.”

Louis spun around and glared at him. “You have something to say, just fucking say it!”

Anteros reached out with his wings and gently brushed Louis arms, he relaxed instantly the tension leaving his face.. “I have just one question to ask you.”

Louis nodded and ran his hand down one of the colourful wings. “Fine.”

“Does she ever make you feel what you’re feeling right now?”

Louis dropped his hand and stepped back. “I beg your pardon.”

‘When you touch–“ 

“I know what you meant. Why the fuck would you ask me that?”

“Your mouth goes for a real dive when you’re angry, you know that.” 

“Fuck you.” Louis dried his face and tried to leave the bathroom.

Anteros blocked the door. “Are you going to talk to her about what happens on stage?” 

“Move.”

“No.”

Louis reached up to move the god and the huge wings snapped around and hit him. “OW! Jesus, what the fuck’d you do that for?”

“I wasn’t finished talking to you.”

“Too bad.” Louis tried again for the door only to find wings blocking his way. “Fine.” He sighed. “Say what you have to say so I can get on with fighting with my girlfriend.”

“It doesn’t seem at all odd that she just showed up here out of the blue?”

“I did mention that she’s my girlfriend, right?”

“Cute. So she’s shown up unexpectedly before?”

Louis shrugged. “Just once, last tour in– I want to say Columbus.”

“Really and what was that about?”

“I never did really figure it out, she only stayed for like two days.”

“She flew all the way across the Atlantic, through–“ He stopped and thought a moment. “Through six time zones, for two days?”

Louis nodded. “Yeah it was really weird. She just kept saying she missed me.”

“Was there anything going on with the fans at that time that might have set her off?”

“Not that I know of. I mean there may have been rumours about us breaking up, but they happen all the time.”

“Ahhh.”

Louis looked up sharply. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just seems a bit. . . odd s’all.”

“She hates it when people doubt our relationship is all. She loves me.”

“Hmmm. Nice that her boss doesn’t mind her taking off work.”

“She hasn’t found a job yet. She just finished uni.”

“Oh, okay. I didn’t realise she came from money.”

“What? No she doesn’t. What gave you that idea?”

“Last minute plane tickets across the pond aren’t cheap, I guess I just assumed her family had the kind of money that afforded that sort of thing.”

Louis hesitated. “She must have got a deal.”

“Really? She bought the tickets and flew out this morning?”

“What difference does it make, she’s in a right state now, thanks to you.”

“Me? What the hell did I do?”

Louis snorted. “You’re the one who convinced me to break my promise to her.”

“Oh get real. You had more fun on that stage last night than you’ve had at every show from this tour combined.”

“I still broke a promise.”

“A stupid promise, one you do plan to discuss with her, right?”

Louis refused to meet his eyes.

“Oh for– you have no trouble standing up to and for everything else. You came at me with a cricket bat. Yet you won’t even talk to your girlfriend about something as important as this?” Anteros shook his head sadly. “Spineless.”

Louis straightened his shoulders. “I am not spineless!”

Anteros raised one eyebrow. “Prove it.” With that, he shimmered out of sight.


	3. Femme Fatale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Louis learns a horrible truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A massive thank you to my beta/Britpickers  
> [Jess](http://thisismyoneluckyprize.tumblr.com/) and [Ittybird](http://ittybird.tumblr.com/)
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr at [Fuzzypurplestuff](http://fuzzypurplestuff.tumblr.com/)
> 
> I am not kind to Eleanor in this story, if that bothers you, you should probably not read it.

Sound check was tense. Louis kept trying to catch Harry’s eye but he was huddled with Zayn whispering when he wasn’t singing. Eleanor was stood at the side of the stage glaring and Liam and Niall were just trying to stay clear of the blast zone. 

As soon as they were cut loose Louis looked to see where Harry was and found him still talking to Zayn, only now Zayn had his arm around Harry and was rubbing his back gently. Louis moved closer to them, clearing his throat to let them know he was there. 

Harry turned to him with a too bright smile. “Hey, Lou, sounded good, yeah?”

Louis raised one eyebrow at his band-mates. “Something going on I should know about, lads?”

Zayn shrugged. “Nothing I can think of, mate.” He squeezed Harry’s arm one last time. “I’m gonna go for a fag.”

Harry watched Zayn walk away before turning back to Louis but not quite meeting his eye. “You sounded great.”

“Yeah, thanks, you already said that.” He ducked his head to try to get a look at Harry’s face. “What’s going on?”

“I– I just–“ Harry blew out a frustrated breath. “I don’t want to be the cause of trouble between you and Eleanor is all.”

“Oh, Haz, you’re not. None of this is your fault. El and I just have to hammer this out is all. It’ll be fine.”

“Hmm, I guess, but things are going to go back to the way they were, aren’t they?”

Louis hated how defeated Harry sounded. “Not if I can help it.”

“Yeah?”

Louis nodded. “Yeah.”

Harry smiled. “That would be nice.”

Louis stepped closer to the taller man. “It won’t go back to the way it has been. I hate it just as much as you do, believe me. Eleanor is just going to have to understand that this is my job and you are family.”

“Okay, that–“

“Louis?”

Both singers turned to see Eleanor had joined them on stage. Louis reached for her, but she kept her arms wrapped around her middle. “You okay, love?”

“I think I’d rather go back and have room service than go out.” 

Louis looked at Harry who was looking at his feet. “Oh, it’s not really out, just to the hotel restaurant, we were all going to–“

“Oh.” Eleanor’s lip started to tremble, then she straightened her shoulders. “That’s okay, you go out with everyone else, I’ll just go back by myself.” She started to turn but Louis took her arm.

“Don’t be silly, of course I’ll come back with you.” He turned back to Harry. “You’ll let the lads know, right H?”

Harry nodded. “Yeah, course I will.”

 

**********

 

Once again the journey was quiet, but as soon as the door to the hotel room closed Eleanor turned on Louis. “You lied to me!” She poked him in the chest. “You broke your promise and didn’t even see fit to let me know you were going to do it. Do you have any idea how humiliating that was?”

Louis held up both hands. “Hang on. First it was kind of a spur of the moment thing, second, humiliating? How? You were on a plane here before anyone at home even knew what was happening.”

“That’s not the point. I’m sure my Twitter is full of those ridiculous morons you call fans telling me I need to go away so you and Harry can get on with your lives.”

“Hold on a second! Our fans are _not_ morons, they might get a bit carried away at times.”  


Eleanor snorted.

“But they aren’t morons. They’re the reason I’m here, we owe everything we have to them. That car you love so much, well, I can tell you I couldn’t have afforded it if I was a student teacher, which is what I’d be about now if it wasn’t for our fans. They go away? So does One Direction!”

“Oh, please, you hate them just as much as I do.”

“No, I don’t. There are times when I wish things were a little less– intense, but what we have right now isn’t going to last forever. To be fair, it’s not like I’m a prisoner. You know as well as I do, Harry has deflected most of that away from all of us.”

“Right, perfect self-sacrificing Harry!”

“El–“

“No! You guys are idiots if you think he’s doing it for you. He’s doing it for himself, superstar Harry Styles and One Direction.”

“Oh, really? And please tell me why he always volunteer when they want us to go meet the fans. He knows that it’s hard for Zayn, so Harry takes his turn almost every time.”

‘Phhfft, he just likes all the attention.”

“Enough, I’m sick and tired of you bad-mouthing Harry. He’s my best friend and that isn’t going to change any time soon.”

“And I’m your girlfriend and am supposed to be the most important person in your life!”

“But not the only important person.” Louis took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “Look, this isn’t just about people thinking Harry and I have something going on. This is about my job. The fans hate the way things are. The five of us being just. . . us, that’s what they love, that’s what they want, and that’s what they’re going to get.”

“Oh, really?”

“Yes, really. No more pretending he’s a stranger on stage, no more making sure we are never seen together. I want to be able to do things with my best friend El? I don’t get mad when you do things with your friends.”

“PEOPLE DON’T THINK I’M FUCKING MY FRIENDS!”

“AND WHAT WE’VE BEEN DOING HASN’T MADE ANYONE THINK I’M NOT FUCKING HARRY, SO WHAT THE HELL IS THE POINT?”

Eleanor’s eyes filled and she turned away. “I’m sorry if people hating me and sending me cruel messages is such an inconvenience to you.” Her shoulders started to shake.

Louis pulled her into his arms. “I know it’s hard, but it doesn’t have to be. I’ve told you just set your stuff to private and then they–“

“They already follow me.” She sobbed into his shoulder.

“So, every time they send you hate, block them. Or just delete the damn account and start new with a private one if you have to have one. But you hardly ever use it so why not just delete it altogether.”

“I shouldn’t have to quit. Those horrible people should leave me alone!” She tore herself out of his arms and ran to the bathroom, slamming and locking the door behind her.

Louis sighed and dropped heavily onto the bed. “El, come on. We need to get this sorted. You can’t hide in the bathroom all night.”

A few minutes later she opened the bathroom door and glared at him. “I want another room.”

“Babe, c’mon, we need–“ 

“I really don’t want to talk about this right now.” She grabbed her bag. “Are you going to call or should I just go down to the desk?”

“Can we just talk about this like adults?”

“You clearly don’t care what I think about the situation so what’s the point? You’re just going to do whatever you want anyway.” She sulked.

“Excuse me?” Louis asked incredulously. “I spent the last two years not only jeopardising my career but my relationship with my best friend and you have the balls to say I don’t care?”

“If you lo–“ 

“Do not finish that sentence. That isn’t fair and you know it. I have done everything you asked and nothing has changed. The fans who thought I was with Harry before, still think I’m with him now. They just blame everything on our people.”

“Yes, well maybe if he didn’t look at you like you hung the moon, they would stop talking.”

Louis rolled his eyes. “Maybe if we stopped acting like we have something to hide, they’d stop thinking we have something to hide.”

“Fine, whatever. I still want my own room, and I’m not coming to watch you and Harry put on a show for a bunch of sickos who think you’re gay.”

“You know what, fine have your own room, I think a break might be what we need right now.” Louis took out his phone. “And for the record, thinking someone’s gay doesn’t make you a sicko anymore than being gay does.”

 

**********

 

“One word and I’ll throw you off the balcony.” 

“Well, you’re certainly in a chipper mood.” Anteros settled himself at the table. “Though I’m impressed you knew I was here.

Louis turned from where he stood staring out the sliding glass door. “I saw your reflection.”

“Ahh.”

“That’s all you have to say, ahh.”

“Well, you did threaten to throw me off a balcony.”

“You have wings.”

“Well, yes, that’s true.”

“And you can– whatever it is you’re doing when you just vanish.”

“Also true. I just thought I’d let you have the threat as it might make you feel a little more in control.”

Louis flopped onto the bed. “Mmmm, thanks, you’re a real pal.”

“I’m sorry.”

Louis rolled over to look at him. “For what?”

“I– when I came here, I had a pretty clear picture of what I thought I was going to be dealing with. It’s much more complicated than I thought.”

Louis sat up. “I don’t understand. You said you came here because someone loved me and I didn’t love them back. You were supposed to help me make them stop.”

Anteros blinked at him. “What gave you that idea?”

“You did.”

“No that’s not what–“ He was interrupted by a knock on the door. He stood and prepared to leave.

“It’s one of us, we’re the only ones allowed on this floor.” Louis checked the peephole. “It’s Zayn.”

Anteros sat back down.

Louis opened the door to admit his friend. “What’s up?”

“I was gonna ask you the same thing.” Zayn grinned at Anteros. “So not so much luck with- what was it you called him?”

“An infestation?” Anteros answered helpfully.

“The statue in Piccadilly, doesn’t do you justice.”

“Ah someone did a little research?”

“Can you blame me?” Zayn laughed and turned to Louis. “I saw Eleanor downstairs.”

Louis sighed, “Yeah, I’m not her favourite person right now.”

“Yeah, I got that. When I asked where you were, she said I should try looking up Harry’s ass”

Louis winced. “Sorry ‘bout that, mate.”

“What exactly did you do to piss her off like that?”

“I told her I didn’t want to keep doing things the way we have been.”

Zayn glanced over at Anteros, then back to Louis. “You mean the Harry stuff?”

“Yeah, but it really isn’t just about Harry, you know. I mean, yeah we have fun on stage and I miss being able to hang out with him without it being a major undercover operation. But it’s also about how we all are on stage, and in interviews and stuff. You know what I mean?”

“Yeah, I get it. It’s been a little rough. We’ve all kinda tried to make things up to Harry on stage, but it’s not the same.”

“It’s my job, I make a stupid amount of money doing this, so the least I can do is give it everything, right?”

“And everything includes, Harry?”

“A big part of what our fans love is the way we all are together, not just me and Harry, all of us just being idiots and having fun. I just- I’ve had to hold back so much this tour, because Eleanor thought I was too _camp_ .” Louis ran a hand through his hair. “I’m tired of pretending to be someone I’m not.”

“Good for you, mate. Last night was fun, it will be nice to have The Tommo back on stage.”

Louis smiled. “Yeah. Now if I can just figure out how to explain it to El, so she can understand.” He turned on Anteros when he heard him snort. “What?”

The young god shrugged innocently. “Nothing, a sniffle, bit dry in here.”

Zayn looked out the window to where a large thunder storm could clearly be seen coming in over the lake. “Uh, mate, I’m pretty sure we’re at about a hundred percent humidity.”

“The air conditioning gets me.”

“Mhmm.” Zayn turned his attention back to Louis. “What did she say?”

“She pulled the ‘if you loved me card’.”

Zayn winced. “Ouch.”

“How does your fiancee handle it?” Anteros asked.

“Huh?”

“Perrie, surely she gets the same type of messages that Eleanor does?”

“Well–“

“But there’s no rumours about Zayn and Harry.” Louis interrupted.

“No, but there are about me and Li. Maybe nothing like you and Harry but they’re there.” He turned to Anteros. “She mostly laughs it off. Says she gets why they like it, two hot guys.” He shook his head. “Before I joined this band I had no idea girls thought guys together was hot.”

“ _I know_.” Louis agreed. “I mean I knew some guys liked the idea of girls together,” Louis missed the look exchanged by Anteros and Zayn. “But I had no clue girls liked the idea of guys.” He shook his head. “But any way, it really doesn’t bother Perrie?”

“Nah, she knows it isn’t true so why worry about it? Plus it’s such a small part of the crap she gets. She worries more about the ones sending her really creepy sex posts about me.”

“EXACTLY! I keep telling Eleanor that. Those are the ones that freak me out when I get them. Fuck, some of those girls are just kids and they send me these really explicit tweets.” He shivered. “She just keeps saying over and over how much she hates the stuff about me and Harry and that if I loved her I’d do something about it.”

“But all the stuff you’ve done has just made it worse if anything. Now all those fans just think you’re hiding something.”

“Thank you! I keep telling her that but she just cries and won’t have any of it.” Louis sank back onto the bed. “I don’t know what to do.”

Zayn sat next to him. “I wish I knew what to say, mate.” He rubbed Louis’ back. “And I really hate to do this now, but I really kind of have to.”

Louis looked up. “What? What happened?”

“Nothing really.” Zayn took a deep breath and blew it out. “But I just want to know if you’re going to– to give into her again.”

What? I just told you–“

“I know what you said. But you’ve said it before, a couple of times, and then you give into what Eleanor wants and things just get harder, and Harry just gets sadder.”

Louis’ back stiffened. “He said something?”

“We talk,. He can’t exactly go to you with this stuff.”

“But what did he say?”

“It’s not just what he said, Lou. This is really hard on him. Why do you think he takes off to L.A. at every opportunity?”

“He writes there, and he’s working on– erm, stuff.”

Zayn rolled his eyes. “I know about the Azoffs, Lou. Yes, he’s working but it also means he doesn’t have to be in London.”

“What the hell are you talking about?”“

Zayn exchanged another look with Anteros. “It’s just difficult for him to be there. He hates that fucking house. You know how much he hates being alone. He doesn’t have to be alone in L.A.”

“He bought a house there!”

“And yet he still stays with Jeff or Cal whenever he goes there.”

“He stays at his own house when I’m there.”

“I know.”

Louis stopped and looked at Zayn. “Oh.”

Zayn nodded. “Yeah.”

Louis dropped his head onto Zayn’s shoulder. “I’m an idiot. Does he hate me?”

Zayn actually barked out a laugh which made Louis look up sharply. Zayn shook his head. “Sorry, mate. But seriously?”

“What? You say I make him sad. I’m the one who asked him to move out after making a big deal about us living together. I didn’t even last a year before bailing on him.”

“He does understand you know.”

“He shouldn’t have to. I knew he was afraid of being alone, I knew how much he hated it. But I still left. I still let Eleanor talk me into leaving my best friend.”

“Well, she is your girl.”

Louis stood up and began to pace. “She is, but she hasn’t been fair about this.”

Zayn bit his lip. “Well, maybe its–“ 

Louis shot him a look. “You don’t think she’s any more right about this than I do.”

“You’re right, I don’t. But it is your relationship and you have to decide what to do about it if she refuses to give you any slack.”

“I don’t think I really have any choice. She has to be willing to give a little one this. It’s important to me. What she’s making me do is hurting people I love and that’s not right.”

Zayn nodded. “And when she starts to cry and says you don’t love her?”

Louis shook his head. “No, this can’t keep happening. She can delete her fucking Twitter and Instagram. Problem solved.”

 

**********

 

Louis was flying when they came off stage that night. The show had gone spectacularly well. He and Harry had ambushed Liam during Best Song Ever and the ensuing water fight had soaked everyone including many of those in the first row. He dropped heavily onto one of the sofas backstage. “That, was awesome!”

Harry flopped down beside him, his long legs draped across Louis’. “Best show in years.”

Louis grinned and patted Harry’s knee. “I would have to agree with young Harold here, boys, I think we outdid ourselves.”

“Yeah, a blast. I’d forgotten how much _fun_ it was when you two can play together.” Liam toed off one of his waterlogged shoes.

“Phffttt.” Louis waved dismissively. “The fans loved it, what’s a few wet shoes between friends?” Zayn shot him a look from across the room and Louis couldn’t help but laugh. “Oh, give in Malik, you know everyone’s gonna be all ‘oooooohhh look how sexy Zayn looks with his hair all wet and messy’.”

Zayn threw a towel at the two on the couch. “You, are a menace. My fucking pants are wet.”

The others all stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter. Niall sat next to Harry and leaned against him. “I have to be honest, that was the most fun we’ve had in a long time.”

Louis reached across Harry to ruffle Niall’s wet hair. “It was, and I’m sorry, lads, that I let it get that bad.”

Liam squished in beside them. “No worries, mate, we’ve all done some really stupid shit in the name of love.”

Niall shook his head emphatically. “Nope.”

Liam twisted around to face the Irishman. “Whadya mean, nope.”

“Nope, as in no, not all of us have done stupid things in the name of love.”

Louis sat forward dragging Harry with him. “Oh, really?”

Niall nodded emphatically. “Name one thing I–“ he stopped and glanced to his right. “Or Harry for that matter, have done that’s stupid, in the name of love.” When the others all started to speak. “And I don’t mean things we’re meant to have done, I mean things we’ve actually done.”

The other three stopped. But Harry spoke up. “Oh, I don’t know, Ni, I’ve done some pretty stupid things in the name of love.”

Niall, Liam and Louis all turned to stare at him. Harry looked like he wanted to rip out his own tongue. 

“Oi, when have you been in love? And why didn’t you tell me.” Louis protested. “We’re meant to be best friends!”

Zayn grabbed Harry and dragged him up. “Ahh, our baby is growing up.” He wrapped himself around Harry and ruffled his already messy hair. “You ever gonna get this mop cut, Haz?”

Harry’s smile was bright and cheery and filled with gratitude at the distraction. “Never, I’m going to let it grow until it’s down to my knees.”

Louis snorted. “Can you imagine. . .”

Liam giggled beside him. “Twitter would be hilarious.”

“I can see the trends now.” Niall chortled. “GetHarryAHaircut.”

“No, no no. HereHarryBorrowMyScissors.” Louis choked out.

“Nah.” Harry disagreed. “Our fans are right clever, they’d go for something like HarryStylesNeedsaNewHairyStyles.” 

All five of them collapsed in helpless laughter. “Fifa tournament, my room?” Louis suggested when they had all calmed down. “I’m never gonna get to sleep and we’re not leaving until tomorrow.”

 

**********

 

“Are you sure about us coming back to your room, Lou?” They were in the van on the way back to the hotel, Louis and Harry were riding together as was their custom.

“Yeah, sure, why not?”

“What about Eleanor?”

Louis sighed. “She’s got her own room.”

“What? Why, what happened? Are you okay?” Harry fussed. “Please tell me this wasn’t my fault.”

“Of course it wasn’t your fault. Don’t be ridiculous.” Louis grabbed Harry’s hand and squeezed. “She and I just have a few things we need to get straight, that’s all.”

“Okay.” Harry said, doubt clouding his face. “I just don’t ever want to cause a problem for you.”

Louis dragged him closer. “Nope, not on you. This one is all me and her.”

Once they arrived at the hotel they all split up to go shower and change in their own rooms before heading to Louis’ for a night of video games, beer and junk food.

Louis decided to make a stop at Eleanor’s room to at least say goodnight. He turned the corner on her floor and stopped suddenly at the sound of her raised voice. 

“What the hell do you want me to do? I tried everything. I cried, I got angry, I did the whole if you loved me thing. It’s not working anymore.” Louis stepped closer trying to see who she was yelling at.

“Try harder.” A male voice ordered. “You are being more than well compensated, the least you can do is your damn job.”

“Fuck you! He won’t listen. He just got pissed off when I cried this time.”

“And your solution was to get your own room?”

“I thought maybe if I walked out he’d run after me to try to make me stay.” Eleanor whined. “He didn’t though, he just got me my own room. We may have pushed him too hard.”

“Did you see that show tonight? They were up there, flirting and whispering and conspiring, they started a water fight!”

“Oh, so what? They have water fights all the fucking time!”

“Not like this, if Louis’ involved Harry usually stays out of it, like he’s supposed to, but tonight it was the two of them against the world again.”

“I told you, I tried everything. I don’t know what you want me to do!”

“I want you to do your damn job! Go back up to his room and do whatever you have to to make him agree to stick to his promise to you.”

“And how exactly do you expect me to do that?” Eleanor demanded.

“I have no clue, blow him until he gives you what you want. Who cares what you have to do. Just get him back onside. He and that little queer have got to be kept apart!”

“Fine, I’ll go up to his room, but I don’t think it’ll do any fucking good.” 

“It better. You’re being paid to keep him on a leash. If he breaks free you’ll be out of a job.”

“Really. How exactly do plan on making that happen without my cooperation?”

“What the hell does that mean. If we want you gone, you’re gone.”

“You forget, Louis loves me. What are you going to do? Tell him you hired an escort to be his girlfriend so people would stop thinking he was gay? That you pay me to keep him from realising he’s in love with Harry? How exactly are you going to get rid of me?”

“You have a contract!”

Eleanor laughed. “It’s not worth the paper it’s written on if you can’t enforce it without letting Louis know what you’ve done and we both know if you do that, they’ll walk.”

“They also have a contract.”

“What judge is going to enforce it after they hear what I have to say?”

“You signed an NDA!”

“A judge would suspend it so fast your head would spin.”

“Don’t push it little girl.”

“Don’t push me! You don’t hold all the cards here.”

“Just do your job.”


	4. Gimme Shelter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Truth are shared all round.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A massive thank you to my betas/Britpickers  
> [Jess](http://thisismyoneluckyprize.tumblr.com/) and [ittybird](http://ittybird.tumblr.com/)
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr at [Fuzzypurplestuff](http://fuzzypurplestuff.tumblr.com/)

Louis could hear the man walking toward him so he ducked into the stairwell and watched one of their American label representatives, Kyle Aarrons, walk by. Louis sagged against the wall. He felt like all the air had been pulled from the room. He didn’t know what to do, or where to go. Suddenly he wasn’t alone in the stairwell. 

“Louis, c’mon, kiddo, let’s get you up.” Anteros wrapped his arm around Louis’ shoulders and helped him stand.

“I–, I can’t–“

“Shhh, mate, let’s get you out of here first okay?”

“I can’t– I can’t go to my room. She– I just–.”

“Where then, where do you want to go?”

“I need Harry.” Louis choked, his voice broken and raw. “But take me to Zayn.”

“Anything you want.”

Anteros helped him up the stairs to the next floor where all the boys and their security were staying.

“You can’t.” Louis stopped. “There’s security at every door.”

“So, I’m with you?” 

“Yeah but–“ Louis stopped and stared at the smaller man, he was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans and the wings were gone! “H–how?”

“They’re still there.” He brought a now invisible wing around to brush against Louis cheek. “Sometime it’s easier if not everyone can see them.”

Louis nodded leaning into the wing, absorbing the positive sensations. “Okay, I–, okay.”

“C’mon, let’s get you to your mate.” He opened the door to reveal two of their security people playing cards.

Seconds later they were knocking on Zayn’s door. “Lou! I thought we were– what happened?”

Zayn opened the door wide and all but dragged Anteros and Louis into the room. “What the hell?” Zayn grabbed him by the arms.

“You should call the others and let them know your evening is cancelled before they come looking for you two.” Anteros suggested softly.

“No!” Louis shook them off. “No, I need to talk to all the boys.” He began to pace around the room. “We need to have a team meeting. It’s important.” He looked at Zayn. “Call them and tell them to come here. We can’t go to my room.”

“Why not?”

“We just can’t, I’ll explain when they get here.”

Zayn moved to the window to make his calls.

Anteros laid a gentle hand on Louis arm. “Are you sure this is what you want to do?”

Louis spun to face the god. “You knew!”

“NO! No, Louis I didn’t know about this. I knew she didn’t love you, that’s all.”

Louis gave a sad hiccoughy sob. “Is that all?”

“I’m so damn sorry. It was part of my assignment to lead you to that information in a much less painful way.”

Louis waved him away as Zayn approached. “They’re on their way. Harry was already at your room, he said Eleanor was there looking for you.”

Louis laughed bitterly. “I’m sure she was. He didn’t tell her where I was did he.”

Zayn shook his head. “No, she’d left before I called.” 

“Good.”

“What the hell is going on?”

“I’ll tell you when the others get here.”

There was a knock at the door. “That’s my cue.” Anteros shimmered out of sight.

Zayn took a startled step back. “Holy shit!”

“Yeah, he does that.” Louis answered the door and found his other three band-mates in the hall. “Hey.”

Niall, Liam and Harry filed into the room. Harry took one look at Louis and was reaching for him before the others had even said hello. Louis fell into Harry’s arms and broke down. 

Harry moved them to the bed and sat down cradling Louis. He turned to Zayn. “What the hell?”

Zany sat next to them and started rubbing Louis’ back. “I know as much as you do. He wouldn’t tell me until you were all here.”

Harry held Louis running soothing hands over him and whispering to him until he had calmed down and stopped sobbing. “Ni, can you grab me a damp, cool, flannel, please. Li, can you get a bottle of water, please?” As Niall and Liam moved to do his bidding, Harry helped Louis sit up and arranged pillows behind him.

“Here ya go, Haz.”

Harry took the cloth from Niall and gently wiped away Louis’ tears and soothed his red, swollen eyes. “Just take your time, love.” He whispered so only Louis could hear. He took the bottle of water Liam offered, opened it and pressed it into Louis’ hand. “Here have a few sips of this.”

Louis took a drink of the water and sighed as it soothed his tear-roughened throat. He set the bottle on the bedside table. “Thank you.” His voice sounded slightly hoarse from crying. He sat himself up fully and cleared his throat. “Something happened tonight. I–, it– em”

“Take your time, mate.” Zayn encouraged from his spot at the foot of the bed.

Louis took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “I went down to say goodnight to Eleanor.” He swallowed hard and squeezed Harry’s hand. “When I got there she was talking to someone at her door. . ..” Louis told the boys the conversation he had overheard. When he was done he looked up to three irate faces and tear filled green eyes. He reached up and brushed a tear off Harry cheek. “This is not your fault!”

“If I–“

“If you what? How is this in any way your fault?”

Harry looked down at his hands. “If I hadn’t told them I was gay.” He whispered.

Liam, Niall and Louis just stared at Harry. “You’re what?” Liam shrieked.

Louis pulled his hands out of Harry’s. “What did you say?”

“It’s my fault because I told them I was gay.” Harry reached for Louis and when the other man pulled away, he flinched and withdrew. 

Niall wrapped his arm around Harry’s shoulders. “I don’t understand. When did you tell them and why didn’t you ever tell us?”

“I told them back before What Makes You Beautiful came out. I wanted to come out, I thought it would, I don’t know, give us a more diverse audience? I was an idiot.”

Liam crouched down in front of him. “You were a seventeen-year-old kid. But why didn’t you tell us?”

Harry shrugged. “They told me if I told anyone they’d find a way to replace me.”

Zayn crawled onto the bed until he was directly behind Harry and wrapped his arms around him. “We wouldn’t have let them do that.”

Harry leaned into Zayn but never took his eyes off Louis. “I was scared.”

Louis got up from the bed and moved to the window. “When?”

“I told you–“

“What date, when exactly did you tell them?” Louis growled.

“They called me in after we went to Leeds.”

Louis turned to glare at him. “And you didn’t tell me?”

“They threatened–“

“I don’t fucking care, I’m your best friend!”

“I was terrified. They made it sound like they could snap their fingers and I was gone, I was a stupid kid and they scared the hell out of me!”

‘Yeah, well you’re not a stupid kid now, why in the last three fucking years haven’t you felt the need to share something this huge?”

Harry stood. “When should I have told you, Lou?” He asked, his voice tight and angry. “Because right about the time I finally realised they were full of shit and couldn’t actually get rid of me, my best friend came to me and told me gay rumours were ruining his life!”

Louis opened and closed his mouth a few times before crossing the room and pulling Harry into his arms. “Oh, fuck, Haz, we screwed this up so bad.” They held each other close while they got their emotions under control. Finally Louis raised his head and kissed Harry on the cheek. “Let’s sit, yeah?”

“So what are we going to do about this?” Zayn asked once they had all settled, he was sitting on the floor leaning against the bed.

“We can’t let them get away with this, they can’t just play with people’s lives like this.” Liam said from his spot at the table. “This is beyond planting stories about our love lives, this is– I don’t even know what this is.”

Niall who was laying on the floor with his head on Zayn’s thigh snorted. “We need to take it to the fuckers.” He pounded his fist on the floor. “This is wrong on so many levels.”

Louis sighed, he was curled up next to Harry on the bed. “I just can’t believe I fell for it all. Three years! She was– I can’t even–.” His voice broke and he just closed his eyes.

Harry pulled him closer and rubbed his back. “It’s not your fault, Lou. None of this is your fault.”

“What kind of person can look someone in the eye and say I love you when it’s just a lie?”

“She is contem–“ Harry was interrupted by a knock on the door.

Zayn checked the peephole. “It’s her.”

Louis got up and flung the door open. “What do you want?”

Eleanor took a step back. “Lou?” She moved closer again and reached out to touch him. 

Louis flinched and avoided her touch. 

Eleanor’s eyes filled. “I don’t understand. I thought you wanted to talk.” She frowned when Harry appeared over Louis’ shoulder. “Of course.”

“No. You don’t get to do that any more.” Louis stepped aside. “Come in.”

Eleanor hesitated before slipping past her obviously furious boyfriend and entered the room. “What’s wrong, babe?”

Louis held up one finger. “Stop, just– just stop.”

Harry laid a supportive hand on Louis shoulder. 

Eleanor’s eyes once again filled with tears. “I don’t understand.” She whispered.

“I heard your conversation with Kyle.” 

Eleanor took a step toward the door. “I–“

“I just want to know how? How could anyone be so fucking cold-blooded?” Harry stepped around Louis his voice shaking with rage. “How could anyone make someone believe they loved them, three fucking years?”

“It was a job.” She lifted her chin defiantly. “They paid me to do a job and I did it.”

“A job–,” Louis’ voice cracked. “A job. You told me you loved me! We were making plans for the fucking FUTURE!”

“Lou.”

Louis backed off as soon as Harry spoke which made Eleanor laugh. “And you have no clue why they hired me.”

Zayn stepped up to snarl in her ear. “I know why they hired you. What I can’t work out is how you sleep at night, or look at yourself in the mirror.” He held her arm when she made to move away and turned her to face the others. “This ends here. Lou is going to decide what and how your relationship ends. How you come out of this will depend entirely on you. You know our fans as well as we do. If he decides you just couldn’t make it work and parted amicably, they’ll be sympathetic and most likely let you fade into the woodwork. However, if you make any noise, he will blast your sins across the internet.”

“Oh really, he’s going to tell the world that he’s been duped for the last three years?”

“No, he’ll tell the world that while he was being a wonderful faithful boyfriend on tour, you were cheating on him at every opportunity.” Zayn smirked. “And since they likely have you buried under an NDA there’ll be nothing you can do about it.”

“They won’t let you do that.”

“ _They_ have no way of stopping us. We could alway go with the truth if you insist and tell the world how you paid your way through university.” Louis offered . “I’m sure your family would be thrilled.” He opened the door. “Get out, pack your crap, get back on a plane and forget we ever met.”

“I–“

“No, you have nothing to say here. Delete your Twitter and Instagram and every other thing you can find that mentions you ever met him, or I will make it my life’s work to make your’s a living hell.” Harry snarled.

Eleanor straightened her shoulders and sniffed. “Fine, but for the record.” She stepped up to Harry’s chest and sneered. “He’s never going to be yours, no matter what you do or say.” Then she turned and marched out the door. 

Harry closed the door behind her and turned to face the others. “Lets do this.”

The boys spent the next few hours alternately soothing Louis and hatching a plan to take back control of their lives.

“They left it to me to deal with it by myself when _someone_ favourited that porn tweet on my account. I can only assume that everything that happens on my Twitter is entirely up to me. Right?” Harry took another swig of his beer.

“Sounds like a reasonable assumption to me. “ Zayn smirked. “And now that we’ve all changed our passwords we have at least until tomorrow before any of them can say anything, and it is,” he checked his phone, “Six am back home. Plenty of time to make the gossip sites.”

Harry took out his phone and opened his twitter ap. 

Louis had a laptop open and was logged into his account. The others already had their phones out. “So, any ideas?”

“I think for you it should be a couple of follows and faves. We’ll leave the cryptic tweets to Harry.” Niall suggested. “Payno can instagram a pic of all of us, I’ll tweet a couple of pics from tonight and talk about how amazing the show felt and Zayn.” He grinned at his band mate. “Zayn can be Zayn.”

Zayn being Zayn whacked Niall upside the head with a pillow. They all piled on the bed together and Liam took a selfie. A few minutes later they all checked their notifications. 

Niall was the first to react, cackling loudly. “Really, Lou?”

Louis shrugged. “Why be subtle.” He had followed Ben and Jerry’s, Broken Heart Records, and a fan, it was her tweet he had favourited.

KJ @KayJayHam Aug 3  
this is what I’m doing this weekend :(  
screen.answers.com/movies/15-best-movies-to-watch-after-a-break-up

The others all laughed. “Yeah, not much chance of anyone misinterpreting those, is there?” Niall chortled. “What have you got, Harry.”

 

Harry Styles @Harry_Styles · Aug 3  
And we're changing our ways, Taking different roads.

 

Louis’ eyebrows shot up. “Damn.”

Harry grinned. “I thought you’d like that one.”

 

Niall Horan @NiallOfficial Aug 3  
AWESOME night with the lads, best show in years!

 

Niall Horan @NiallOfficial Aug 3  
You guys outdid yourselves as usual, #BestFansEver hope nobody got too wet!

 

Niall Horan @NiallOfficial Aug 3  
Tommo the Terror is back, better watch out!

 

Niall Horan @NiallOfficial Aug 3  
The dream team pic.twitter.com/nLLtQPnVy6

 

“Shit, Nialler, you trying to get us killed?” Liam asked when he saw the picture Niall had tweeted, it showed Louis and Harry bent over the laptop grinning, Louis was practically in Harry’s lap. It was nothing they weren’t used to, but the fans hadn’t seen anything like it in a very long time.

“Fuck em.” Was the succinct reply.

They all sat back and watched Twitter implode.

 

**********

 

An hour later Harry and Louis were headed back to their rooms. “You gonna stay with me?” Louis asked when they reached his door.

“If you want.”

“Yeah, I really don’t want to be alone tonight.” Louis leaned against the door, exhaustion lining his face.

“Let me grab my stuff and I’ll be right back.’ Harry took off down the hall. 

Louis waited until he was out of sight before opening his door. “I’m alone.” 

Anteros shimmered into view. “Are you okay?”

Louis shrugged. “No, and I don’t know whether to be angry or cry, so I keep doing both.” He flopped, face-down on the bed.

Anteros perched beside him. “You have more than every right to both. She dealt you a pretty heavy blow.”

“It just– I don’t understand how I could have been so stupid.”

“Louis, it’s not stupid to believe someone who says they love you. She was a liar, a good one.”

“Mmdthryo” Louis voice was muffled by the pillow.

“I didn’t get that one?”

“I’m mad at Harry too.” Was the reluctant answer.

“Why?”

“Because!” Louis rolled over and sat up. “He lied to me too.”

“You mean about his sexuality?”

“Yes! How do you keep something that important, such a massive part of your life, from your best friend?”

“He told you why.”

“Hmmm. I know they scared him and then I was a total twat, but he still could have told me.”

“Because you’ve told him everything about your sexuality?” Anteros asked knowingly.

Louis opened his mouth to say something but no sound came out.

“Yeah, before you go condemning him maybe take a look a bit closer to home, hmmm.”

“S’not the same thing!”

“Really, so Harry not telling you he’s gay is soooooo much worse than you not telling him you’re bisexual?”

“I– shut up.”

“He didn’t hide it from you to hurt you. In fact it hurt him not to tell you. So talk to him about it, he’s your best friend, act like it.” He draped his wing across Louis back.

Louis leaned into the wing once again soaking up the amazing sense of peace and home he felt. “We still have to take care of the reason you’re here.”

Anteros stood. “We will.” He shimmered out of sight just as there was knock on the door.

Louis opened the door. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Harry fidgeted, shifting from foot to foot.

Louis cleared his throat. “You, uh, you wanna come in?”

Harry nodded and slipped into the room. He set his bag on the foot of the bed and turned to face Louis. “We can’t do this.”

Louis rolled his shoulders. “Do what?”

“Avoid talking about what I told you guys, avoid talking about what Eleanor said to me. We can’t avoid it or it will end up destroying our friendship.”

“Yeah.” Louis plugged the kettle in. “I need tea.”

Harry chuckled. “Tea would be good.” He sat at the table. “So.”

Louis held up one hand. “Tea.”

Harry nodded and waited silently while Louis brewed and prepared their tea. 

When they were ready Louis joined Harry at the table. “So.”

“I already said that.” Harry smirked, taking a careful sip.

“I’m not really sure what to say, or what you want me to say.”

“To be honest, Lou, you don’t have to say anything.” Harry set his cup down. “I wish I could go back and tell you guys at the very start. But I was terrified.”

“Why? That’s the part I don’t get. Why would you have been scared to tell us? We told each other a lot of really. . . intense stuff.”

Harry took a deep breath and blew it out through his teeth. “I– uh, I dated girls at school, you know that.”

Louis nodded.

“I like girls, women, I love their company and pretty much everything about them, but I was never. . . interested, you know?”

“Okay?”

“But I’d never been really attracted to a boy. I mean I could look at a guy and see that he was good looking or whatever but that doesn’t mean anything.” Harry shrugged his shoulders. “For a while I thought maybe I just wasn’t interested. I know there are people who just aren’t into sex, but the idea of sex appealed to me, a lot, so I was pretty sure that wasn’t it. So I thought maybe I just hadn’t met the right person. I liked the affection and cuddling and some of the other stuff that went into a relationship but the sex thing just kinda left me bleh. ”

“You told us you’d never–“

“And I hadn’t at that point, because I’d never met anyone I wanted to be with. I’d fooled around but nothing beyond a bit of exploratory touching that did nothing for me.”

“Okay, wow. I remember when you told us you were still a virgin, Niall and Liam didn’t believe you.”

“I know they didn’t, but it was just–.“ He ran his hand through his already messy curls. “I was scared. I was sixteen, naive, and terrified I had something wrong with me.”

“I’m sorry that you were going through all that and they were setting you up as some sort of junior Casanova even before One Direction was formed.” 

“It didn’t make it easier, but I went along with it because I was afraid it would hurt my chances on the show if I didn’t. Those girls were all really sweet and pretty but I just wasn’t interested. It was such a relief when I figured out I was gay.”

“How did you come to that conclusion.”

Harry smiled softly. “I fell in love with a boy.”

“Oh.” Louis blinked a couple of times. “I didn’t realise you’d had a– how the hell did you hide a relationship from us?”

“I didn’t.” Harry’s smile drooped at the edges. “He never knew.”

“But–“ Louis shook his head. “So you fell in love.”

Harry nodded.

“But you never had sex with this guy?”

Harry shook his head.

“But there has to have been others since then?”

“There have been. Nothing serious, but enough for me to understand that I am very much only into men, and that I am also not cut out for casual sex.”

Louis swallowed hard, not sure why this was making him tense. “But you have had boyfriends?”

“I don’t– well maybe, not really, boyfriends, more like– well, I guess, maybe, but, no.”

“But you just said. . .”

“I said I’m not cut out for casual sex. It’s true, I’d much rather be with someone I’m committed to, but we don’t always get what we want.”

“I still don’t get it.”

“What don’t you get? You’re the same way, you like being in a relationship, you’ve never done the one night stand or casual hook up thing.”

“No, that’s not it. I just can’t figure out how you managed to hide all this from me.”

Harry squirmed in his chair. “It didn’t strike you as odd that I never brought anyone home when we were living together?”

“I– I guess I never thought about it.”

“Really? With all the hype around my supposed sex life, you never thought it strange that you never actually saw me with a girl?”

“I–“ 

“It’s okay, Lou. I put a lot of effort into hiding it.”

“But why?” Louis sat forward. “That’s what I don’t understand. Why hide it? And I don’t mean after you told the idiots in charge, I mean after you figured it out. Why hide from us, from _me_?”

Harry got up and went to open the window. The air was thick and still. “I couldn’t.”

“When did you figure all this out?” Louis joined him at the window. “Who was this boy?”

Harry cleared his throat. “We were on the show, and who he is doesn’t matter.”

Louis turned to face him. “But why? We were all telling each other our secrets back then, why would you keep something like that from me?”

“So you don’t have any secrets from me?”

Louis squirmed and turned to look out the window. “I–“

“Exactly. We all have things we need to keep to ourselves, for whatever reason. I was sixteen and scared. I came from a very small town and didn’t know anyone who was out. You guys spent most of your time talking about girls, at what point should I have mentioned that I was into guys. I wasn’t sure how you would react.”

“But by the time we left the show. . .”

Harry shook his head. “I couldn’t, I– I just couldn’t, okay?”

“Okay.”

“I’m sorry, Lou, there were so many times I just about blurted it out to you, but I just. . . and then. . .”

“And then I told you gay rumours were ruining my life.”

“Well, yeah.”

“Shit, if I’d known. . .”

“Yeah, because knowing I was in fact gay, would have made the situation easier.” Harry laughed.

“NO! That’s not what– fuck, I just hate that all this happened. I hate that I was such a fucking idiot that I let that – that–, that I let her do this.”

“You were in love with her. You thought it was hurting her.”

“Oh, bullshit. You don’t believe that. I let her manipulate me. I let _them_ manipulate me.” Louis voice broke.

“Ah, babe, c’mere.” Harry sat on the bed and drew Louis down into his arms. “You fell in love, there’s no crime in that.”

“I let her make me hurt you. I hate that.”

“You were trying to make your relationship work.”

Louis lifted his head and looked Harry right in the eye. “Tell me there weren’t times when you hated me because of what I let her talk me into.” He challenged.

Harry looked away. “I wouldn’t say I hated you. . .”

“Why do you go to LA so much?”

“What?”

“You heard me.”

“I’m working, most of the time. Writing and working.”

“Mhmm. None of that could be done from home? You spend no time in London if you don’t have to.”

“It’s–“ Harry flopped back on the bed and scrubbed his face with his hands. “It’s complicated.”

Louis crawled up the bed to lay beside Harry. “I’m sorry.”

“Ts’not your fault.”

“Hmm, so if we still lived together, would you bolt to LA every time we get more than five minutes off?”

“I– erm, I. . .”

“Exactly, I know how much you hate being alone, they knew it too. They still– she started in on us living together almost as soon as we started seeing each other. Which, now that I think about it, wasn’t that long after we moved in together.” 

Harry lifted Louis hand and squeezed it. “I’m sorry she hurt you. What they did was so– god I don’t even have a word for it.”

Louis’ eyes filled. “I– “ 

Harry pulled him close. “Shhh, we don’t have to talk any more, let’s get some rest, yeah.” He stood and pulled Louis up with him. After tucking Louis into the bed he turned off all the lights and climbed in beside him. “Sleep.”

Half an hour later Louis was still awake, laying with his head on Harry’s chest. It had been a very long time since they had fallen asleep like this and he was almost overwhelmed by the sense of peace and home and. . . Louis sat up abruptly and moved quickly away from his sleeping friend. He sat on the edge of the bed for a moment before dashing into the bathroom. “Ante–“

“I’m here.” The winged boy shimmered into sight. “Breathe, Louis.”

Louis glared at him. “Tell me I’m wrong.”

Anteros blinked innocently. “Wrong about what?”

“No, nonononononono. NO!”

“Calm down, you’re going to wake him.”

“Fuck off!”

“And here I was thinking you were past your potty mouth.”

“NO! Just tell me, please, tell me it’s not him. Anyone but him!” Louis begged.

“Why would it be so awful if it was Harry?” Anteros asked calmly from his perch on the toilet.

“I can’t, no, no, absolutely not.” One of the bright wings drifted close to Louis and he dodged it. “Stop it! Keep that thing away from me!”

“Why, you’ve always enjoyed what it felt like before?”

“Stop dodging the issue. You know damn well why I don’t– “ Louis scrubbed his hand over his face. “Fuck.”

“I don’t understand. Why would it be so–“

“NO!” Louis voice broke. “It cannot be Harry, you’re lying, he can’t be in love with me! There is no way, it’s impossible.” 

“I admit we haven’t known each other long, but I have to say, that is the single stupidest thing I’ve ever heard you say!”

“Fuck you!”

“Mouth!”

“Suck my–“

“OI!” Anteros slapped him with a wing. “What is wrong with you?”

“What the fuck do you think is wrong with me? You just told me my best friend is in love with me!”

“Weeeelll technically, you figured it–“

“Oh for fuck’s sake!”

“Fine, yes, Harry is the reason I’m here.”

“Get out!”

“No.”

Louis gritted his teeth. “I don’t want you here.”

“I have to say I’m shocked, because until now you’ve been so welcoming.”

“My life has completely fallen apart since you entered it.”

Anteros nodded. “I will concede that things have been rather difficult for you today, but none of it is really my fault.”

“I would have had no clue how Harry felt about me if it wasn’t for you and your stupid fucking wings!”

“Is finding out Harry is in love with you really the worst thing that has happened this week?”

“Yes! NO! Fuck I don’t know.” Louis sat down on the edge of the tub, deflated. “I don’t know what to think.”

“One of your favourite people in the whole world is in love with you. Why is that such a horrible thing?”

“But he’s my best friend.”

“Yes he is.” Anteros crouched in front of Louis. “I want you to think about something. Please?”

Louis nodded reluctantly. 

“Okay, good. Now when you were lying there with him, I’m assuming you felt something?”

“Those feelings I get when you touch me with your wings, that– that’s why it always felt so familiar.”

“One problem though.”

“What? I know what I felt.”

“Oh, I’m not saying you didn’t feel it. However, when my wings touch you, you are feeling Harry’s feelings for you.”

“I know.”

“But when you were lying next to him, those were your own feelings.”

“But– I– I don’t–, what?”

“My wings let you share what you make Harry feel”

“Okay?’

“Tonight was about what Harry makes you feel.”

“I–, so I feel– um,”

“At peace and safe and home, when you were lying next to Harry. Yes.”


	5. Back for You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fallout from Louis' realisations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A massive thank you to my beta/Britpickers  
> [Jess](http://thisismyoneluckyprize.tumblr.com/) and [Ittybird](http://ittybird.tumblr.com/)
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr at [Fuzzypurplestuff](http://fuzzypurplestuff.tumblr.com/)
> 
> I am not kind to Eleanor in this story, if that bothers you, you should probably not read it.

“Did you manage to get any sleep?” Harry’s voice was gravelly from sleep.

Louis looked up from where he was sitting staring out the window. “Not really.”

Harry climbed out of bed and dragged on a pair of tracksuit bottoms. “I wish there was something I could say to make it better.”

“You’re here, that helps.”

Harry sat in the other chair. “I’m glad I can do something, I feel a bit useless, to be honest.”

“What did Eleanor mean?”

“Huh?”

“Last night, just before she left.”

“I uh– “

“You said when you got here last night that we would talk about it, we never got around to it.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Do you now want to talk about it?”

Harry hesitated. “Not really, but I’m scared if we don’t it’ll make things weird.”

“Okay.”

They both sat staring out the window for a few more minutes.

“Am I the boy?” Louis whispered. “The one who made you realise?”

“Yes.”

 

**********

 

“Sooo, looks like we broke Twitter.” Niall cackled as Louis entered Liam’s hotel room.

“Yeah?”

“They’re going bonkers. You have the top five trends worldwide and two of the next five.”

“That was the plan, right?” Louis turned as Liam’s girlfriend Sophia entered the room. “Hey Soph.”

Sophia hugged him tight. “You okay, love?”

Louis shrugged. “Don’t really know what I am right now, to be honest.”

“You be whatever you need to be and let us look after you, yeah?” She stood on tiptoe and kissed him on the cheek.

“Ta, love.”

“Where’s Harry?” Liam asked from where he was struggling with the zipper of his suitcase.

“He uh– hm, he’s gonna meet us downstairs.”

“Where is he?” Zayn asked from the doorway.

Louis turned to face Zayn. “I just said–“

“I know what you said, and I asked you where he is?”

“His, room, I guess.” Zayn started to leave. “Zayn, wait.”

“I’ll see you guys downstairs.” Zayn shot Louis a look and left.

“Shit.”

“What’s going on, Lou?” Niall asked.

“Nothing, everything is fine.”

“Doesn’t look fine.” Liam observed. “Did you and Haz have a–“

Sophia laid a hand on Liam’s am. “Li, just let’s get ready to go, yeah?”

Louis glared at her. “Am I the only one who didn’t know?”

Sophia shook her head. “No, I think it’s a very small group.”

“Li, Sophia and I will meet you down stairs.” Louis turned pleading eyes on the young woman and she nodded and followed him from the room. 

Once in his room Louis turned to Sophia. “Who?”

“The only ones I can say for certain are Lou, Ben, Cal and of course Zayn.”

“And Eleanor.”

“Apparently, but I’ve hardly spoken to her. We smile pretty for pictures, but that’s about it.”

“I’m sorry about that. I talked to her about it but she was really close to Danielle and well. . .”

“I thought that was it.” Sophia laid a gentle hand on his arm. “I never actually talked to Harry about it either. I worked it out on my own and after the wedding, I broke down and asked Lou.”

“The wedding?”

“Hmhmm, his reaction to seeing Eleanor in the church was, well, awful, and I wanted to make sure he was going to be okay.”

“I– shit.”

Sophia rubbed his back. “I’m sorry. You had no idea?”

“NO! No, I didn’t even know he was gay until yesterday.”

Sophia just stared at him with her mouth open. “You– what?”

“Liam didn’t know either.” Louis sulked.

“Pshh, of course he did.”

Louis shook his head adamantly. “Nope, none of us knew. Well, except Zayn, I guess.”

“How could you not know?”

“He never told us!”

“So? He never told me either!”

“I suppose you’re going to tell me you have some sort of super gaydar that picked it up right away.”

“I don’t know about super gaydar, but it was pretty clear to me from the first time I met you guys that Harry didn’t have eyes for anyone but you. I never asked Liam about it because I didn’t want to put him in a position where he felt he had to either lie to me or share someone else’s secret.”

“No.”

“Louis, I’m not saying this to make you feel bad, I just want to make sure you know you have someone to talk to if you need. Someone who isn’t one of the boys.”

Louis dragged her into a hug. “Thanks, love, I really do appreciate that.”

 

**********

 

“I _really_ don’t want to hear from you right now.”

“How has that worked for you in the past?’‘ Anteros sat cross legged on Louis bed and watched him finish packing.

“Please leave me alone. I just need to not think for a bit.”

“Why did you walk out on him?”

Louis turned to face him with his hands on his hips. “Go. Away.”

“You asked him the question. You forced him to admit he’s in love with you, then you walked out on him.”

Louis threw a jumper across the room. “I didn’t force him to admit anything!”

“You asked him a direct question, what choice did he have? He could lie to you and that would have just pissed you off because you already knew the answer, or he could tell you that he’s been in love with you for four years.”

“STOP! Just fucking stop! Please.” Louis wrapped his arms around himself.

Anteros let his wings drape over the distraught young man’s shoulders. “I’m sorry. I wish I didn’t have to push this, but do you want to continue to have Harry in your life?”

Louis leaned into the wings, taking solace from the love and peace he received from them. “I need him, I really do, but. . .”

Anteros led Louis to the bed and they both sat down. “But what? Your choice really is simple. You have to talk to him. Talk it out, explain how you feel and start working on getting on with your lives.”

Louis sniffed. “That’s the problem though. I don’t know how I feel.”

“Okay, let me ask you this, do you love him?” Anteros held up a hand when Louis started to protest. “Not in love, but do you love him?”

“Of course I do, but–“

“No, no buts. Talk to him. It’s Harry. He’s loved you as long as you’ve known him.”

Louis winced. “Not really helpful.”

“Why, what difference does it make? It doesn’t change his feelings. Does it change yours?”

“I– no, maybe? I don’t know!”

Anteros withdrew his wings and smirked when Louis tried to follow them. “Nothing has changed. Harry still feels the way he always has. The only difference is now you know. This is all up to you. You can throw away your relationship with him, or you can put on your big boy pants, grow a pair and talk to your best friend!”

Louis hung his head. “I know, I just don’t want him to hate me.”

Anteros snorted. “He didn’t hate you when you kicked him out of his home because of what a bunch of strangers said. I’m pretty sure you’re good there.”

 

**********

 

Louis could tell Harry was surprised when he slid into the seat next to him. “Hey, you.”

“Hi.”

“I’m a twat.”

One side of Harry’s mouth lifted. “This is supposed to be news?”

“Oi!” Louis protested with a grin. “But seriously, I’m sorry I legged it earlier.”

“No worries, you’ve had a rough couple of days.” Harry offered graciously.

“No, don’t let me off the hook this time. I shouldn’t have asked you that and then just walked out when you told me the truth.”

“You already knew the answer, Lou. You wouldn’t have asked otherwise.”

“Yeah.” Louis laid his head back against the seat and stared past Harry out the window. “I’m sorry.”

Harry raised an eyebrow. “For what?”

Louis started. “I– what?”

“What are you sorry for?”

“I– but. . .”

“You said not to let you off the hook, so, what are you sorry for?” 

Louis could see that despite the fact that Harry was trying to keep it light, there was hurt in his eyes. “Where do I start.” He shifted in his seat so he was facing Harry. “I’m sorry I let other people dictate the way I lived my life, and I’m sorry you got caught up in it.”

“You thought you were doing what was best for the person you loved.” Harry’s smile was sad. 

Louis chewed on his lip and looked up at Harry through his lashes. “That’s what you were doing too, wasn’t it?”

“What else could I do? You weren’t happy.”

“Jesus, Harry.”

“What? You want me to lie about why I did it, you want me to tell you that I went along with those stupid fucking rules because I thought they made sense. You want me to tell you that I thought for even one second they’d do any good.” Harry turned to stare out the window. “I couldn’t say any of that because it’s not true and you know it. You knew then that what you were doing wasn’t going to accomplish anything.”

“I know.” Louis sighed. “I am really sorry about all that.”

Harry turned back to face him. “You are completely forgiven for that.”

Louis blinked at him. 

Harry smiled softly. “What?”

“Why would you forgive me for that so easily?”

“You eventually chose me.”

“I– what?”

“Before you found out what she was doing, you chose our friendship. You were willing to fight to have what we had back.” Harry shrugged. “You’re forgiven.”

“Okay. . .” Louis grimaced. “What about the other stuff.”

“You mean running away from me about three seconds after you forced me to admit I had been in love with you for as long as we’ve known each other?”

Louis winced. “Yeah, that.”  


“Forgiven.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I mean you’ve had a bit of a day so I think it was probably one last thing too many. So, yeah.”

“I really am sorry. I should have stayed.”

“And done what? Patted me on the back and apologised for not feeling the same way. Thanks but, no.” Harry grabbed Louis’ hand and squeezed. “We’re good, yeah?”

“Yeah, we’re good.” 

 

**********

 

“So. . .”

“Why are you still here?” Louis glared at Anteros as he entered his New York Hotel room.

“Where else would I be?”

“Oh, I don’t know, maybe ruining someone else’s life.”

“Nah.” Anteros made himself comfortable on Louis’ bed. “Not done here yet.”

“What? Why not. I know now who it was that was in love with me. We talked about it. You’re done. Good-bye.”

“Oh, sugar, we are not done here.”

Louis turned to face him. “Sugar? Really?” He shook his head. “Why aren’t you done? What else could you possibly do. Harry and I talked, he forgave me for being a dick, I forgave him for lying to me, we’re good.”

‘Nah.”

“Stop saying that. Why are you still here?”

“Because there is more to be done.” Anteros pulled an arrow and started cleaning his nails with it. 

“What more could you have to do. I’m no longer with someone who doesn’t love me. I know who does love me. What else could you do?”

“We’ll see. Get the door.” With that he shimmered out of sight.

Louis pulled the door open just as Zayn was about to knock. “Hey.”

“Hey.” Zayn entered the room and turned to face Louis. “What’s going on?”

“I still have a nasty infestation.”

“Okay.” Zayn settled in the desk chair. “So, what’s up with you and Harry?”

“What do you mean?”

“Just what I asked.”

“We’re okay.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, and while we’re on the subject of Harry. A little birdy tells me that you knew all along how he felt about me.”

“Not all along, not really.”

Louis laid on the bed on his stomach facing Zayn. “When exactly did you work it out?”

“I had my suspicions while we were on the show. But I wasn’t sure until after you broke up with Hannah.”

“I don’t understand.”

“When you broke it off with her, he was so. . . I guess hopeful is the best word for it. I couldn’t believe you didn’t see it. I was sure he would do or say something when you guys went to Leeds, but you came back and nothing had changed. That’s when he told the pricks that he was gay. He would probably deny it had anything to do with you but the timing is a bit– well. Then you met Eleanor and he was so crushed. That was when I asked him about it?”

“What did he say?”

“He was surprised I knew. Then really relieved to have someone to talk to.” 

“What, why, what made you see it, why didn’t you say anything? Why didn’t I see it?”

Zayn shrugged. “Dunno, it was pretty obvious to me, especially the first time you brought Eleanor ‘round.”

Louis buried his face in the bed. “I hate this.”

“What, that Harry’s in love with you–“

“Stop fucking saying that!”

“Won’t make it any less true.”

“I hate that he felt he had to lie to us, to me. I hate that I hurt my best friend. I hate all the crap that goes on around us all the time. Who threatens a seventeen year old kid?” Louis sat up. “Wait a minute, he started seeing Caroline.”

Zayn snorted. “It didn’t seem strange to you that there were pictures of her leaving your house, with her pillow?”

“I–“

“Did she sleep over?”

“No.”

“Did you ever actually see him touch her, or were you too busy taking the piss out of him to pay attention to the fact that they weren’t really together.”

“How was I supposed to know?” Louis all but whined.

“Oh fuck off, Lou.”

“What? No one else knew either!”

“Liam and Niall well. . . Liam is much better now, but back then he couldn’t read _anyone_. Niall, he wanted to be just like Harry back then. He loved all the ladies man crap. I think he suspected before Harry told us.”

“So it’s my fault I didn’t guess that my best friend was lying to me all these years?”

“I’m thinking you saw what you needed to see.”

“What the fuck is that supposed to mean?”

Zayn moved to sit next to Louis on the bed. “You had an absolutely massive crush on him back then so–‘

Louis sat up so fast he almost knocked Zayn to the floor. “What the hell?”

“Oh for fuck’s sake, Lou, you did everything but piss in a circle around him.”

“I most certainly did not.”

“Have you ever noticed he either sounds like a sailor or a dowager duchess when he gets angry?” Anteros appeared beside them causing both men to shriek and fall backward off the bed.

“Jesus fucking christ–“

“And the sailor’s back.”

“You’re not actually here to resolve anything are you. You’re trying to drive me mad?”

“Oh calm down.” Anteros helped Zayn to his feet. “Sorry, mate, didn’t mean to startle you.”

“You gonna help me up?”

Anteros sat in the armchair across from the bed arranging his wings carefully around him. “No.”

Louis stood and returned to his former position, face down on the bed. “Go ‘way, I hate you both.”

“You know, Zayn here was right. Your crush on Harry during the X-Factor was crystal clear to anyone with functioning eyes.”

“Fkuwf.” Was the muffled answer from the bed.

“And you know what’s cool, we actually have video evidence.” Anteros chirped happily.

“Ihwpyewdy”

“Hey, Zayn?”

“Yes, Ant?”

“Should we boot up the laptop and show Louis what we mean?”

Zayn grinned. “Of course, Ant, sounds like fun!” 

Louis rolled over so his back was to them. “I need new friends.”

Zayn bounced onto the bed beside him. “Have you ever watched the videos from back then?”

“Go ‘way.”

Zayn laid down and snuggled up to Louis’ back. “We should watch, you might actually learn something, being older and wiser and all that.”

“I hate you.”

Zayn sat up and took the laptop Anteros offered. “So where should we start. The video diaries are a feast of hungry Louis moments, but there are literally hundreds of little moments we could watch in this little walk down memory lane.”

“I hope you get eaten by rats.”

Zayn poked Louis in the ribs. “Stop pouting and sit up.” 

“Fuck. Off.”

“Nah.” 

Louis heard the X-Factor intro music and pulled a pillow over his head. “You should be struck by lightning.”

“Bit tough that, since we’re inside and all. Oooh mate, you had it sooooo, bad.” Zayn cackled. “Shit, I didn’t realise the cat thing started that far back.”

Anteros budged in beside Zayn. “Cat thing? What cat thing?”

“Oh it really doesn’t have anything to do with actual cats. It’s just Harry loves to be touched. He’s like the most tactile person I’ve ever met. Louis’ always obliged him and petted him like a big cat.”

Louis’ hand snaked out from beneath the pillow to flip them the bird.

“Love you too, mate.” Zayn clicked on another video. As soon as he saw it he started to laugh. “Oh, god, this may be Louis’ greatest regret.”

Anteros leaned in. “What? Why”

Zayn turned up the sound and Louis’ voice blasted through the hotel room. “I like girls who eat carrots!”

Zayn and Anteros fell against each other laughing. “Oh, man, Lou, how much do you wish you’d never said that.”

Louis growled at them but said nothing. So Zayn clicked on the next video.

“Shit, you’re practically in his lap here.” Zayn and Anteros watched as a fresh faced Louis bit a chubby cheeked Harry’s shoulder. “Lou, you should really see this one, this is what I’m talking about.”

“I know what they look like.” Louis grumbled, his voice muffle by the pillow. 

“Shall we move on?”

Louis sat up and swung the pillow at Zayn. “No, I don’t want to see more.” He slapped the laptop closed. “I was there remember?” He got up off the bed and stomped to the bathroom. 

Zayn and Anteros exchanged a look. “Lou? You uh, you okay, mate.” Zayn started to get up when there was a knock at the door. Anteros shimmered out of sight and Zayn opened the door to reveal Harry standing there with a cheeky grin and a pizza.

Harry’s smile drooped slightly. “Hey, mate, uh, I wasn’t–“ He hesitated for a moment. “Pizza!”

“C’mon in, Lou’s just erm, he uh–“

“I’m right here.” Louis came out of the bathroom. “Ooooh, Harold, my good man, pizza is exactly what the doctor ordered!” He shot Zayn a look and dragged Harry into the room. “Beer, we need beer. Zayn, be a good lad and fetch us some, yeah?” Louis walked away without even waiting for his answer.

Zayn rolled his eyes and left to find them something to drink. 

Louis waited until the door had closed before turning to Harry. “I thought you’d be out and about.”

Harry shrugged one shoulder. “I thought about it, but pizza and a film sounded better.”

Louis looked at him carefully. “What’s wrong?”

“I was with that little girl, Campbell. Her family was just. . . I can’t imagine knowing your little girl is going to die. Her mum just kept thanking me over and over. I didn’t know what to say, it was just an afternoon?”

“You made her dying daughter’s wish come true. That’s a really big thing for a parent.”

Harry shrugged. “I guess. It was just so damn sad, you know. She’s had that disease since she was three, it’s not fair.”

“Sick babies is never fair.”

Harry fidgeted with the pizza box for a moment before shoving it away. “Do you want to go do something?”

“What?”

“Go do something. I don’t know, see a film, go to a play, watch a match, somebody must be playing something. Just go hang out.”

“I ca–“ Louis stopped and grinned. “Actually I can, can’t I.”

Harry nodded. “Yeah, that’s what I meant. There’s no reason for us not to go hang out. In public even.”

Louis grinned widened. “What about the pizza?” 

“I think I can afford it.”

“Or we can give it to Zayn.”

Harry barked out a laugh. “Or that.”

“Gimme a second to change and we’ll go.” Louis headed for the bathroom. “Hey, give Zayn a tinkle and let him know we don’t need the beer.”

“On it.” Harry took out his phone. “I’m gonna ring Alberto too. Let him know we need him”

“Good man.”


	6. A Change Is Gonna Come

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meetings with the powers that be, bring about positive change.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A massive thank you to my betas/Britpickers  
> [Jess](http://thisismyoneluckyprize.tumblr.com/) and [ittybird](http://ittybird.tumblr.com/)
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr at [Fuzzypurplestuff](http://fuzzypurplestuff.tumblr.com/)

“I think you broke Twitter. Again.” Was the first thing Niall said to them the next day.

“Huh?” Louis leaned over Niall’s shoulder to look at his phone.

“Your little date last night has set the fans on fire.”

Harry rolled his eyes. “It wasn’t a date. We went out for dinner and to a film.”

Niall, Liam and Zayn turned as one to look at him. “Yeah,” Niall cackled, “that sounds nothing like a date.”

“Oh, fuck off, you lot.” Louis took out his own phone to check his feed. “Wow. That’s. . .”

“Vicious, nasty, ugly. . .” Liam filled in.

“Those work.”

Harry chewed his bottom lip, his eyebrows furrowed with worry. “Why do they do that? Why do they have to attack each other?”

“Some of them think they’re going to grow up and marry you. Louis is in the way of that.” Zayn explained with a cheeky grin at Louis.

“Louis isn’t in the way. The fact that Harry likes dick is in the way.”

“NIALL!” Liam scolded.

Niall shrugged. “What, s’true? If Harry had never met Louis those girls still wouldn’t stand a chance. They make no sense.”

“So they’re pissed at me mostly?” Louis gave up on his mentions and tucked his phone away.

“Actually, they seem divided. There’s the ones who are happy you’ve repaired your friendship and are still planning on marrying one of you. The ones who hate Louis because he broke up with their sainted Eleanor. The ones who are pretty much deliriously happy because they think you _were_ on a date last night and are seconds from coming out, and the ones who hate those last ones, just for the sake of hating them as far as I can tell.” Niall nodded, content with his list.

Louis opened his mouth to say something then appeared to give up and looked at Harry instead. Harry was busy typing furiously away. “Harold, what are you doing?”

Harry smiled as he hit send. “Nothing.”

Louis groaned and reopened his Twitter ap.

Harry Styles @Harry_Styles · Aug 4  
“no act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted”

 

Louis smiled and shook his head. “Only you.” 

“Bite me.”

They both turned to face Niall when he chortled. “I know a few fans on Tumblr who’d pay good money to see that.”

Louis was about to tackle Niall when there was a knock on the door. Niall hopped away from Louis and opened the door to reveal Paul. “Pauly! Save me. Louis’– “

“Louis, Harry wants to talk to you.” Paul ignored Niall’s shenanigans.

“I haven’t done anything!” Louis looked to the others. “Have I?” He received four shrugs for answers. “What’s he want?”

Paul sighed. “To talk to you.”

Louis rolled his eyes. “Fine tell him I’ll be there in a bit.”

“He said–“

“In a bit. I haven’t eaten.” 

“Louis. . .”

“I need to eat, Paul. I can’t think of anything important that’s happened that’s any of his business. He didn’t schedule a meeting, so he can damn well wait until I’m good and fucking ready!”

“Fine. I’ll let him know.” Paul looked at the others. “You boys okay?”

“Spectacular.” Zayn answered for everyone.

“Vans will be ready at two. Don’t be late.” With that he shot Louis one more inquiring look and left.

Harry immediately turned to Louis. “You think this is about Eleanor?”

“I’d be willing to guarantee it.” Louis ran a hand through his hair. “I did something without asking their permission, they won’t like that. Especially since I dumped their little spy.”

“Do you want us to come with you?” Liam asked tentatively.

“Nah, don’t worry about it, mate. I’ve got this.”

Harry rubbed Louis’ back. “You sure? You know we’ll be there.”

“It’s good, H. I think it’s high time I had a chat with the big boys. Don’t you?”

Harry nodded, then smirked. “Tell Harry I want to talk to him. Today.”

“Harry, what are you going to do?” Liam asked cautiously. 

“Just a little chat. About, you know, stuff.” 

“Just don’t forget we have a contract.”

Louis snorted. “Yeah, because them hiring a pro to act as my girlfriend without telling me who I was sleeping with, is absolutely within the bounds of that contract.”

“Not to mention threatening to have me removed from the group for being gay.”

“Guys. . .”

“No Liam.” Louis held up a hand. “Enough is enough. What they did is so beyond what is okay, I just can’t even imagine what they were thinking. It’s one thing to set up PR dates with pathetic little attention seekers, those aren’t real and everyone involved knows it, including the fans, by the way. This was fucking around with my life. She was my girlfriend for three fucking years. I slept. . .” Louis broke off. 

Harry wrapped an arm around Louis. “He thought he had a real relationship Liam, it’s different for me, none of it’s real, but this, this was cruel. He’s entitled to a little payback. You thought so too the other night.”

Liam held up both hands. “No nono, don’t get me wrong. I want to get them back too. I just don’t want you to go in there and lose your temper.”

“I think it’s about time one of us lost our temper.” Harry sneered. “What are they going to do, kick me out of the band? They’ve hung me out there for all the world to see, the things they’ve allowed people to think I’ve done, the way they’ve allowed people to think I am, well too fucking bad! I’m done playing nice with them!”

“Harry’s right, Li.” Zayn agreed. “Some of the things they’ve let people believe about him are pretty hideous.”

“I know!” Liam exclaimed. “I agree with you guys, they need to pay. But I think we need a plan!”

“Not this time. Liam.” Louis disagreed. “This time I just need to confront them with what they did.”

“I get it Lou, but. . .”

“Liam!” They all started, it wasn’t like Harry to raise his voice. “I’m sorry, but think about it. Three years, three fucking years, how long would they have let it go, how _far_ would they have let it go?”

“Would they have let me marry her? Would they have gone that far to keep me and Harry apart?”

The silence was complete. They all just stared at Louis. Finally it was Niall who spoke. “Uh, Lou, wh–“

“Let’s get something to eat, yeah, I know I’m half starved.” Zayn headed for the door dragging Liam and Niall with him. “Coming, lads?”

“Yeah, uh, we’ll–“ Louis cleared his throat. “We’ll be down in a minute.”

Zayn herded Niall and Liam out the door with one last worried glance at Harry and Louis.

“What was that?” Harry’s voice was barely a whisper.

Louis all but collapsed onto a chair. “I have no fucking clue.”

“Lou. . .”

“I just– everything is so weird right now.” Louis voice cracked. “I don’t know up from down.”

Harry crouched down in front of him and took his hands. “I know. Why don’t we just take a couple of days to, I don’t know, decompress? No more talk about how anyone feels about anyone else. We’ll deal with the dicks and then just, relax, and not worry about any of this. Okay?”

“Yeah, I think that’s a good idea.” Louis squeezed Harry’s hands. “Thank you.”

Harry stood, pulling Louis up with him. “Let’s go eat. I need food before I take on those idiots.”

 

**********

 

“Louis, c’mon in.” 

Louis entered Harry Magee’s hotel room. “Harry.” He greeted the head of their management firm. 

“Can I get you something, tea?”

“Yes, thank you.” 

“Good morning, Louis.” 

Louis took the cup of tea from Magee and nodded at the other man in the room. “Aarrons.”

Magee offered him a seat. “Shall we?”

Louis took a seat at the table and sipped his tea. “I think I’m owed an explanation.”

Kyle’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re owed an explanation. You’re the one who broke up with your girlfriend and didn’t think to tell us so we could handle any fall out.”

“No, I didn’t break up with a girlfriend, I fired one of your employees. By the way, whatever you were paying her, better not be on our books.”

“Louis–“

Louis held up a hand. “No, Harry. She’s gone, what I want to know is, what made you think you had the right to play with my life like that?” 

“It was a sound business decision.” Kyle insisted.

“Why the hell did I need a fake girlfriend? I probably would have found my own eventually.”

Kyle snorted. “Yeah right.”

“Pardon me?” Louis tone was ice cold.

“Are you going to tell me that you wouldn’t have ended up in Styles’ bed?”

Louis took a deep breath. “And so what if I did? I fail to see how that would be any of your business.”

“Little girls buy into boy-bands, little girls want to imagine marrying their favourite boy-bander.”

“Bullshit.”

“Oh, really.”

Louis turned to Magee. “This was all on them wasn’t it?” He waved at Kyle. “I was thinking about it on my way up here. No one gave two shits about how Harry and I acted before they came into the picture. You used to tease us about how fast Larry Stylinson caught on, how easy we made your jobs because the fans were so taken with us.”

Magee nodded. “That’s true. You two were the fans’ darlings, everyone loved your relationship whether they were convinced it was just friendship or more.”

“So what the hell happened?”

“Parents don’t want their little girls listening to music made by–“

Magee held up a hand. “Be very careful what you say next, Kyle.”

“I was going to say gay boys.”

“They have no problem with Bieber and his strippers and drugs and hookers and arrests.” Louis pointed out. “Parents have always hated their kid’s music, it’s tradition!”

“It’s different.” Kyle insisted.

“So if I was sleeping with hookers and throwing drug parties, that’d be okay, but damn I best not be gay. Is that what you’re telling me? Oh wait a minute, I was sleeping with a hooker!”

Magee head shot up. “I beg your pardon?”

Louis’ eyes widened. “You can’t expect me to believe you didn’t know.”

“What the hell are you talking about, Louis?”

“Eleanor! Where exactly do you think she came from?”

“I– she was the daughter of a friend of Mike Linder.” Magee turned to Kyle. “Wasn’t she?”

“Nope.” Louis answered before Kyle had a chance to. “She was an escort, heard the words from her own mouth. Isn’t that right, Kyle?”

“We needed someone we could control. Who wouldn’t have qualms about faking a relationship and sleeping with you.”

“Get out!” Magee’s voice was deadly.

“Harry–“

“Out, I will speak to Simon later. For now, get out.”

“You don’t–“ 

“Kyle, you either leave this room right now or I have you chucked out by security.”

“Hotel secu–“

“I am almost positive, Louis’ personal security is right outside that door. Have you met Alberto? He is renowned in the industry for his loyalty.”

Kyle straightened his shoulders and left the room.

Magee immediately turned to Louis. “I had no idea. . .”

“But you knew she was hired to be my girlfriend.”

“I was aware you’d been set up with someone. The idea was to introduce you to a few nice girls with the hope that one of them would appeal to you. We thought we just got lucky right out of the gate.”

“You want me to believe you had no hand in this, that it was all the label?”

“I swear to you, Louis, I had no idea she was still being paid to be your girlfriend.”

“What about all those stupid pap shots of us?”

“That was done at their level as well”

“So Jones and his flying monkeys?”

“Work with us yes, but they also take orders from both labels.”

Louis’ shoulders dropped. “I still don’t understand. Why? Harry and I were just friends, that’s all we’d ever been. I didn’t even know he was gay until a few days ago.”

Magee was clearly shocked. “How is that possible? As close as you two are. . .”

“At first he was afraid, something we will be getting to shortly, then Eleanor had me so tied up in knots I told him the rumours about us were destroying my relationship with her.”

“You told your closeted, gay best friend that rumours about you two being gay were ruin– shit. When you came to us and told us what you were going to do to try to dial down the hate she was getting, I didn’t even imagine that you didn’t know about Harry.”

“You thought I would do that if I knew my best friend was gay?”

“I assumed you two had discussed it and come up with this plan together. I had no idea he wasn’t out to you.”

“While we’re on the subject of Harry being in the closet. . .”

Magee sighed. “That was unfortunately something we all agreed on. You know as well as I do he was– special. Everyone knew it. Even at sixteen he had that– something. When we started talks with Columbia, they actually wanted to put him right out front but we, and Syco, all put paid to that, you were a five piece. When he came to us just before the single was going to be released at home, the Columbia guys lost it. There was no way they were going to take a chance on a boy-band with an openly gay member, especially not the one they wanted to push to the front. So we shut him down. I hate that is had to be done but they were right, it would have been next to impossible to have a go at the US market.”

“You threatened to have him removed from the band!”

“What? No we didn’t! We told him it would be almost impossible for you guys to break America if he was out.”

“He was told he would be kicked out of One Direction if he said anything to anyone.”

“By whom?”

“Hang on.” Louis pulled out his phone and five minutes later Magee was letting Harry into the room. 

“Can I get you a cup of tea, H?”

“Yes, please.” Harry shot Louis an inquiring look and Louis only shrugged in response.

Magee set the cup in front of Harry then sat down across from the two singers. “When you came to us three years ago and told us you wanted to some out. What did Richard and I tell you?”

“At first you just said you didn’t think it was a good idea because it would make it harder to break the American market.”

“Okay, and you seemed to understand that.”

Harry nodded. “I did. I was just a kid and didn’t really know much about the industry, you explained that the American market could be different from home and that American record companies might balk at having an out member in the band.”

“Louis here seems to think you were told you’d be removed from One Direction if you told anyone you were gay.”

“I was.”

Magee was clearly taken aback. “May I ask by whom?”

“Mike Linder and Steven Draper.”

Magee took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I am so sorry you were put through that Harry. I thought we had everything cleared up in our meeting.”

“So did I. I knew I couldn’t go public and I was kind of okay with that. But then they said I couldn’t say a word to anyone. I’m not sure why.”

“Oh, I think we know why, don’t we Harry?” Louis addressed Magee.

“Yes, I think there were a lot of plays being made behind our backs.” Magee stood. “I cannot apologise enough to you boys. Richard and I will be discussing how to deal with this situation going forward, we will bring Simon in as well.”

 

**********

 

The next few days were relatively quiet. Harry and Louis stuck to their plan and didn’t discuss anything related to their love lives. Anteros was suspiciously silent and the other boys seemed to sense that their band mates would talk when they needed to. The biggest difference was on stage. There, everything had changed, everyone was having fun and everyone around them felt the difference.

“HELLO, BOSTON, IS EVERYONE HAVING A GREAT TIME?” Louis thundered as he paced across the main stage. The audience screamed their approval.

Louis threw an arm over Harry’s shoulder throwing the audience into a frenzy. “Have you been having a good time, Harold?”

“I have been having the very bestest time, Lewis!”

“Is this an amazing crowd or what?”

“This is one of the very best crowds we’ve EVER PLAYED FOR!” Once again the crowd went wild.

“Well, there you go, if Harold declares it, it must be so. Anyway, this is the part of the show where we introduce and say thank you to our wonderful musical band! Give it up for Jon our MD on keys!”

The familiar sounding melody sent the audience into a complete melt down. Liam looked over to Harry and shrugged before he began to sing. “One day you’ll come into my world and say it all.”

They sang the whole first verse and chorus of Something Great to a very enthusiastic audience. 

“Well–“ Louis had to clear his throat. “I’m just happy we remembered the words, we’ve never done that one live.” He glanced over at Harry to find him rosy cheeked and staring at his feet. “Big up for Dan on guitar!”

 

**********

 

“Where you off to?” Louis asked as he entered Harry’s Washington hotel room.

“‘m gonna go for a run.” 

Louis looked out the window. “It’s absolutely pissing it down out there.”

“So?”

“You’ll catch your death.”

Harry laughed. “It’ll be okay, mum, it isn’t cold out.”

“Don’t come crying to me when you catch a cold.”

“It’s actually better when it rains, not as many people around.”

“Hmm.” Louis flopped onto the unmade bed. “I think you should avoid taking the chance of catching some sort of plague and stay here and entertain me instead.”

“I won’t be long. Go see what Niall’s up to.” 

“But I wanna play with you!”

Harry threw a jumper at him. “You’re an idiot.” He finished tying his shoes. “I’ll be back in a bit.”

“You’re taking someone with you right.”

“Yes, Louis, I’m taking someone with me. What’s up with you today, you’re not usually _this_ fussy.”

“I dunno, I just feel. . . itchy.”

“Itchy.”

“I don’t know! I just feel all weird like something’s going to happen.”

Harry sat next to him on the bed. “What’s going on?”

Louis dragged a pillow over his head. “Cnwetk.”

“I didn’t catch that. I don’t speak pillow.”

Louis lifted the pillow but avoided looking at Harry. “When you get back from your run, can we talk.”

“Unlike what we’re doing now?”

“Yeah, just, go for your run and then come find me, yeah?”

“I can not go–“

“NO! I mean no, go for your run.”

“Two minutes ago you wanted me to stay here and entertain you.”

Louis screwed up his face. “No. You go for your run. When you get back we’ll order food and then we’ll, uh have a talk.”

Harry’s eyes widened and his face paled. “Oh, uh, yeah, I guess, talking would be okay.”

Louis nodded. “Yes, good. Bye.” With that he bolted out the door.

 

**********

 

“So what exactly are you going to talk to him about?”

“One of these days, you’re going to do that and I’m going to be holding something and you’re going to get it.” Louis turned to face Anteros who had appeared perched on the back of the sofa.

“What, you’re going to smack me with a microphone?”

“Fuck off.”

“So, you are planning on having a chat with young Harry.”

“I have a question.” Louis sat cross legged on the bed facing the young god.

“Ask away.”

“Where do you go when you just. . .” He waved his hands n front of him. “Are you still here, or can you just hear me from wherever you are? Because you alway seem to know what I’m doing.”

Anteros stretched his wings out. “Most of the time I go home. It’s– complicated. But when I’m there I can still check in on you because I am assigned to you right now.”

“Assigned, who does the assigning?”

“Well, my brother had a bit of a hand in this one, but mostly it’s mum.”

“Your mum, sent you to me?”

Anteros nodded. “Yes, she’s in charge of these kinds of things.”

“And your mother is. . . Aphrodite?

“You did some research. Yes, my mother is Aphrodite.”

“Of course she is.” Louis held up a hand before Anteros could speak. “Why me?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, why me? I’m sure there are millions of people out there who are dealing with unrequited love and who are in relationships with people who don’t love them. What made me so special that Aphrodite herself took an interest?”

Anteros blushed and drew his wings back in tight around himself. “Well, you see– the thing is– I uh– it’s not exactly um, well, you’re not, erm, Hmm.”

Louis started to chuckle. “Spit it out god boy, what was so special about me that–, ah let me guess, it was Harry, right?”

Anteros flapped one wing in his direction. “Mum thinks he’s sweet.”

Louis fell back on the bed laughing. “Oh, Jesus. I can’t. . . Aphrodite is a Harry girl!”

“Oh shut it, you!”

“I just wish I could tell him, he’d die.”

“Oh hush. She might hear you.”

“And what, smite me down with a bolt of lightning?”

“Noooo, she has much more personal ways of getting back at those who displease her.”

Louis stopped laughing. “That sounds– unpleasant.”

Anteros nodded. “Mummy dearest can be a bit. . . hmm, vindictive. It’s kind of their thing.”

“Oh kay. So, she likes Harry, so you’re here?”

“She thinks Harry’s lovely and very sweet. The fact that he looks a wee bit like her lover doesn’t hurt.”

“I’m almost afraid to ask.”

“Look it up, see if you can figure it out.”

“Not your father?”

“Nooooo, there’s pretty big issues there. But let’s not talk about my very complicated family. What are you going to say to Harry?”

‘Don’t really know. We said we’d talk after things had settled own a bit. I’ve mostly got my head straight after what Eleanor did.”

“You really think you’re over that?” Anteros sounded skeptical.

“No, I don’t think you get over a betrayal like that. But I have been working through what I feel and felt about her.”

“Ah, and?”

“The person I thought I was I love with didn’t actually exist. She was created for maximum results. She liked the things I liked, reacted to things in a way that was most likely to please me. Everything she did was designed to make me fall for her and then twist me up in knots.”

“And did you?”

“Well, yeah.”

“Did you really? Tell me what you felt when you two would just spend quiet time together, watching a film or cuddling on the couch?”

“I– we– it was, nice?”

“Nice. You were with the girl for three years and cuddling with her was nice?” Anteros slipped a wing over Louis’ shoulder. “You had sex with her, was that nice too?”

Louis leaned into the wing. “I don’t know! It’s so hard to look back at it now and not see every move she made as being calculated.”

“Okay. Does that help or make it more difficult to work through things?”

Louis chuckled ruefully. “Both actually. Knowing it wasn’t real, makes the things that felt wrong at the time make sense. But it also makes me feel like an idiot.”

“I asked you a question once before and you got extremely angry. I’m not asking again to upset you, but I want you to give it some thought, okay.”

“I can’t guarantee I won’t get upset, but I promise to think about it.”

“Fair enough.” Anteros wrapped both wings around Louis. “Did you ever feel with her, the way you feel when you touch my wings? The way you felt when you were laying beside Harry?”

Louis took a deep shuddering breath. “No. I never did.” He stepped out of the shelter of the wings. “I knew that– I knew from the beginning that what I had with Harry was different. It wasn’t like anything I–“ 

Anteros held up his hand. “Don’t tell me.”

“What?”

“Tell Harry.”

“I– how, I um he– what if. . .”

Anteros smiled gently. “If it’s his feelings you’re worried about? He told you he was in love with you less than a week ago.” 

“I know. I just want to be sure of everything before–“

“And there’s your problem.” Anteros interrupted. “Love isn’t about being sure, yes the unknown is scary, but it’s also exciting and wonderful. Do you trust Harry?”

“Absolutely.”

“Then talk to him. If nothing else he’s been your best friend for over four years. Talk to him.”

 

********** 

 

Unfortunately the fates conspired against Louis and Harry having their chat. Harry had barely had time to shower after his run when Harry Magee called asking for a meeting with all the boys.

All five member of One Direction met in the hall outside the conference room Magee had arranged. “Any ideas, lads?” Zayn asked when Louis and Harry arrived.

Louis looked at Harry, then back to the others. “Yeah, I have a pretty good idea what it’s about.”

Magee answered their knock and ushered them in. Liam, Niall and Zayn were surprised to see Simon Cowell seated at the conference table as well a several others from Syco, Sony and Columbia. “Have a seat boys.” Magee signalled his assistant to get everyone refreshments.

The boys sat down facing Simon and the other execs. Simon nodded in greeting and got down to business. “First thing I want to say is to Louis. I had absolutely no idea what was being done in regards to your relationship.” He sent a glare down the table to Kyle. “If I had I would have put a stop to it immediately. I want to apologise, on behalf of Syco and Sony, there are going to be repercussions take my word for it.”

Louis nodded. “Simon, I need to know why it was done? Why me? As far as you knew I was completely straight. Harry was the one who came out to you. I had a girlfriend up until a month before you introduced me to Eleanor, so why me?” He sat back and crossed his arms.

Simon looked down the table to where Mike Linder and Kyle were seated. “Gentlemen?”

The two Americans exchanged exasperated looks. “We didn’t want to tie Harry down to a girlfriend, we wanted him to appear available.”

“And yet I still don’t see what the hell that has to do with me.”

“The way you acted. The way you dressed, all of it. Everyone thought you were gay.”

“And yet, I’m not.” Louis gritted his teeth.

“Oh really?” Kyle sneered. “And you were all over Harry because. . .?

“Because he is my best friend and we are both very tactile, affectionate people.”

“Right.”

Louis stood and planted his hands on the table. “You know what. It doesn’t matter, if I’m gay or not. You had no right to fuck with my life like that. Why not come to me and say you wanted me to make a few adjustments for the sake of the band? It’s what you did with Harry.”

Harry laid a soothing hand on Louis’ shoulder. “Lou–“

Louis sat back down but continued to glare at the two men. “Well?”

“Everything we knew about you suggested you’d tell us to go to hell if we tried to get you to adjust your behaviour.”

“Oh, fuck off! If you had come to me and sat me down and explained how it could affect us business wise I would have been more than happy to work with you. Instead you thought I was the campy, flamboyant, complication that you had to figure out a way around.”

“Everyone thought you were gay!”

“Again, I say, I’m not. And even if I was, so what? Does that mean you can’t have an intelligent conversation with me? Treat me with respect?”

Simon held up a hand. “I think that’s enough. It’s clear to me that there was no satisfactory reason behind what was done to you Louis. It was cruel and I can think of no adequate excuse.”

Louis nodded. “Thank you, Simon.”

Harry held up one hand. “I want one thing made clear.”

Simon waved him on.

“We will not be working with anyone involved in this, ever again.”

Kyle and Mike started to protest but were quickly shut down with a look from Simon. “That won’t be a problem going forward, Harry.”

“Thank you.”

“Now, you boys seem to have taken a few things into your own hands in the last few days?” Simon’s smile wasn’t unkind.

“We’ve done what we thought was best.” Louis agreed.

“The fan reaction has been quite remarkably positive.” Magee offered.

“Gee, it’s almost like we know what we’re doing?” 

“There’s no need for sarcasm, Louis.” Simon scolded. “We know things have been difficult for all of you. The show has been incredibly well received since you– er. . .“

“Got rid of my puppeteer?”

“Just keep up the good work.” Simon stood and indicated that the other label people should follow him. “We’ll see you soon, boys. I think this next album is going to be a game changer.” With that he left the room.

Magee shook his head. “You have to give him credit. He gets shit done.”

They all laughed, a bit more relaxed now that the label people were gone. Magee offered fresh drinks and then sat back at the table. “So I would imagine there are a few things you boys want to discuss?”

Louis looked to Harry and nodded. “Go ahead, H.”

“We want you out of our personal lives.”

When Magee made to protest Harry held up a hand. “No, Harry, I mean it. I’m sick and tired of seeing my name dragged through the mud every few months because some girl is well connected enough to get her name linked to mine. I’m done.”

“Harry–“

“He’s right.” Everyone turned to Zayn, shocked. He rarely spoke up during these meetings. “Harry doesn’t deserve to have people think he treats women that way. None of us do. So what if it gets his name in the papers and gossip sites if they only have bad things to say about him.”

Niall took over. “Look at how many stories were written about him and little Campbell. All talking about what a great guy he is and how good he is to people. Why not push that. He’s a nice guy, why not make that his story.”

Harry’s cheeks were bright pink by this time. “Guys–“

“They’re right.” All five boys stared at Magee open mouthed. “At first having you out and about with various well know young women served its purpose. It got your name out there and got people talking. But recently it’s been less than successful. The press seems less willing to buy into your last few relationships. And the fans are resentful that we expect them too.”

“Well maybe if you stopped treating teenage girls like they’re morons you’d have a bit more success.” Louis smirked.

“I don’t believe we have, but that is neither here nor there. While I don’t think we can risk Harry coming out yet, I do think we can allow his personal life to become as private as he chooses.”

“And me?” Louis swallowed, hard. “Am I allowed to run my own personal life too.”

“Absolutely. I am so sorry, Louis, I didn’t even imagine they would go that far.”

“And if I chose to dress the way I want to, and act more like myself in public and if Harry and I no longer hide our friendship?”

“All good with me. Those were all things you were doing that attracted the fans in the first place. I never had a problem with you being you.”

“Good, that’s– good.”


	7. Something Great

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and Louis finally talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A massive thank you to my betas/Britpickers  
> [Jess](http://thisismyoneluckyprize.tumblr.com/) and [ittybird](http://ittybird.tumblr.com/)
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr at [Fuzzypurplestuff](http://fuzzypurplestuff.tumblr.com/)

“So, that went better than I thought it would.” Harry collapsed on his bed when he and Louis got back to his room.

“Yeah, I suppose.” Louis opened the mini fridge and grabbed a beer.

“You suppose?” Harry sat back up. “They won’t be running my life anymore.”

“True, no more pathetic little attention seekers, cluttering up your life is a good thing.”

“Louis.”

“What, it’s what they are. At least Swift had her own actual career. The rest of them were just happy to be Harry Styles latest conquest.”

Harry snorted. "Yeah, because having Taylor around was such a joy for all of us.” 

“I didn’t say she was a peach of a person, I said she at least had her own career before being linked to you.”

“True.” Harry conceded.

“So. . .”

“Yeah.”

They looked at each other across the room and burst out laughing. “Fuck this.” Louis flopped down beside Harry on the bed.

Harry rolled over to face him. “We’ve been best friends for four years and now we can’t talk to each other?”

“Nope.” Louis sat up and tucked his feet under Harry’s thigh. “There’s something I’ve kept from you. I’m not even sure why I didn’t tell you. I haven’t told any of the other boys either, but I should have a t least told you. But to be fair I haven’t really _told_ anyone other than my mum. Then again you kept a pretty big secret from me and I’m babbling why don’t you stop me?”

Harry grinned up at him and patted his leg. “You’re cute when you babble.”

Louis blushed but kept eye contact. “You think I’m cute?”

“Sometimes.”

“Oh really?”

“Yeah sometimes cute, other times you’re uh, well, it’s not so much cute.” Harry smirked and blinked slowly up at Louis.

Louis squirmed a bit as he realised he had never had this aspect of Harry turned on him. Harry was a born flirt. He was good at it but he was also very good at keeping it light and non-sexual. This was different. He’s never looked at Louis with intent before. Louis had to clear his throat, twice. “So I’m only cute some of the time?” He pouted, he was no slouch in the flirting department himself.

Harry pinched the back of his calf lightly causing Louis to flinch away. “Fishing for compliments, Lewis?”

“Everyone likes to feel pretty.” Louis batted his eyelashes dramatically.

Harry barked out a laugh. “Yeah, you definitely have the pretty thing down.”

“I’m not the pretty one in this family, Styles.”

“Phhht, like you don’t know you’re the best looking guy in every room you enter.”

“As long as I’m not with you, or Zayn.”

Harry propped himself up on his elbows and grinned. “So, you’re better looking than everyone except me and Zayn?”

Louis knocked one of his arms out causing Harry to once again flop back on the bed. “Oh shut it. You know what I meant.”

“I do.” There was a few moments of comfortable silence before Harry asked softly. “Is there any chance for me?”

Louis’ eyes shot up to meet Harry’s. “I– what?”

Harry sat up and faced Louis. “You know how I feel about you. How I’ve _always_ felt about you. I know you love me, as a friend, what I don’t know is if there is any chance of us having any relationship beyond friendship?”

Louis searched Harry’s face. “You know!”

Harry nodded.

“How– who– how did–” Louis stuttered to a stop. “My mum wouldn’t have– Stan.” 

Harry nodded again.

“When? Why? I don’t– he never said anything.”

“The ski trip, our last night, remember how wasted he got?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you remember the girl who kept following me around?” 

“Yeah, you took to hiding behind people every time she came near you.”

Harry nodded. “I hid behind Stan once and he thought it was hilarious that I didn’t want to kiss a pretty girl.”

“Oh kay?”

“Then he asked me if I’d rather kiss you.”

“Ah, shit, H, that–“

Harry held up a hand. “I had a bit of a panic attack at the time wondering what he saw and if I was slipping. But he just said he thought it would make the fans happy. Then he said if you didn’t have Hannah you might not have a problem kissing me.” Harry ruffled his hair and smoothed it back from his face. “I asked him what the hell he was on about and he was surprised that I didn’t know you were into blokes too.”

Louis just gaped at him.

“Say something, Lou.”

“I’m not sure what to say.” 

“I’m pretty sure that if he’d been sober he would’ve tried to walk it back, but he was so hammered. He just kept babbling on about how you’d had crushes on guys, had even snogged a guy from school but you’d never had a boyfriend.”

“Fuck.”

“Yeah, so I was a bit shocked as you can imagine. But in reality it didn’t matter because you were with Hannah and that was that.”

“Okay.”

“You ever going to actually say something?”

Louis shook his head and waved Harry on.

Harry rolled his eyes but continued. “Then you broke up with Hannah.” 

“Zayn said he thought you were, um, you know, hopeful?”

Harry looked down at his hands. “Yeah. I guess I thought maybe, you know? When we went to Leeds I was so sure. That first day I tried everything to let you know I was interested, but you just flirted with girls and I thought maybe Stan was taking the piss. So I gave up.”

“Did you ever talk to Stan about it?”

“Yeah. He apologised for telling me and that he was the only person other than your mum and the guy you snogged who knew.” Harry grabbed a pillow and hugged it to his chest. “I figured you might be into guys, but you just weren’t into me.” He took a deep breath. “Then– then you– uh–”

“Then I met Eleanor.”

“Yeah, and that was pretty much that.” Harry picked at the pillow. “So– em, back to my question. . .”

Louis closed his eyes. “I just–“ He blew a hissing breath out through his teeth. “It’s that–” He stopped when Harry put a gentle hand on his arm.

“S’okay, Lou. I get it. We don’t get to chose who we’re attracted to.”

Louis couldn’t help the bark of laughter. “You think I’m not attracted to you?” He shook his head. “You’re my favourite person, pretty much ever. You’re smart and funny and ridiculous and gorgeous and sexy and– and. . .”

“But?”

Louis scrubbed a hand over his face. “I don’t know what I’d do if I lost you.”

Harry shuffled closer to Louis. “Why would you lose me?” He held up one finger. “No, I don’t want to hear that whole tired ‘but if we break up we won’t be friends anymore crap’. That’s what it is, crap. We either take the chance and try, or we don’t. There are always a million reasons why we shouldn’t take chances on something, but giving up a chance at what could be very special because of maybes is stupid.”

“You are my best friend and I love you more than anyone outside my family.” Louis swallowed. “I’m still not over everything that happened with Eleanor.”

“Of course you aren’t. I don’t mean we should run off together and get married. All I want to know is if I have chance.”

Louis reached up and cupped Harry’s cheek running his thumb over his mouth. “Yeah, I think we’d be fucking fabulous together.”

Harry laughed and bit Louis thumb lightly. “Only you.” He leaned into Louis hand.

“Just give me time, yeah. Be patient? I don’t want to screw us up because I moved too fast before I got my shit together.”

“Hey, I got nothing but time. As for patience, I’ve been in love with you for four years and don’t see it changing any time soon.”

 

**********

 

“Well, I have to say, I’m impressed.”

Louis rolled his eyes. “What did you think I was going to do, yell at him about boys having cooties.”

Anteros slapped him lightly with one wing then settled into the armchair. “No, but I am happy you were honest with him and yourself.”

“Hmm.” Louis turned to face him. “Slow and careful, I think that’s what I need to be here.”

“There’s something I’m going to ask you and I don’t want you to get angry.”

“Then maybe you shouldn’t ask.”

Anteros pulled his wings in tight around him. “When did you know you were attracted to Harry?”

“What? Why would that make me angry?”

“That’s not the angry making one, that’s next. So when did you know you were attracted to Harry?”

“Physically? Before I officially met him, I saw him around bootcamp. Emotionally, about two weeks after that.” Louis smirked at the shocked young god. “You were expecting some other answer?”

“I– I guess I was expecting less self-awareness.”

Louis sat down on the bed. “You should have seen him then. I mean now he’s just gorgeous beyond reasons, but then he was this ball of curls and cheeks and dimples. He looked like a chubby cheeked cherub but he was the cheekiest thing you’d ever meet. He could smile like a little angel while telling the filthiest jokes. He’s the reason we got away with so much while we were on the show.”

“So you thought he was cute?”

“It was more than that. You haven’t met him so you don’t know, he has a way with people. I’ve been the class clown my whole life. I’ve always been able to make people like me by making them laugh. I may also be a bit bossy, so I can get them to do what I want. But Harry, they’re like moths to a flame.”

“You seriously underestimate yourself. Yes, you’re a clown, making a smart ass remark when things are too serious or tense, but that has nothing to do with why people follow you, why those four boys love and admire you, why they look to you when things get tough, why Harry has been in love with you for four years.”

Louis fidgeted with his fringe not meeting Anteros’ eyes. “I– I guess I know that, but I’ve never had his ease with people.”

“Very few do. Especially at his age. It’s his gift. It makes him very compelling and draws people in, but how many of them get to really know him the way you do?”

“No, I know that. I guess I just, I’m just trying to explain what it was like back then. He was only sixteen but he was just so– so– Harry. I’d never had anyone I felt so connected to. With him I never had to make dumb jokes just to fill the air, I could sit next to him and be quiet. He never made me feel like I had to be on all the time in order for him to want to be around me. I’d never known anyone who’s company I– I– I– needed isn’t the right word. We hadn’t known each other very long before I hated being apart from him.”

“Ah, well then. It seems I don’t have to ask my angry making question.”

“What? Now I really want to know what the question is.”

Anteros smiled. “Well now I also know it’s going to make you angry. Just remember I was planing on asking it before I realised how long you’ve been in love with him.”

“I– but I–“ Louis stuttered to a stop.

“I feel like I should have known. But then Mum or Eros definitely should have told me, but since you aren’t even aware of it I don’t feel too bad. I mean I knew you loved him and were more than a little attracted to him but the fully head over heels in love, yeah, I didn’t know that. I should have, I guess. Otherwise I wouldn’t have felt so compelled to help you rather than just make you pay.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I told you, avenging unrequited love is my thing.”

Louis nodded. 

“Well it’s not really my main gig.”

“I know.”

“You– ah right, you did a bit of research.”

“I did, but I wasn’t sure I understood what you were meant to be about. How you were different from your brother.”

“Ah, okay. Well Eros is all about heat, that instant flash of passion, hormones gone wild, sexual desire. I’m about love being reciprocated, whether it be the love of a friend, or family or a lover. Love cannot exist in a vacuum, in order to flourish it must be returned.”

“Okay, and that’s why unrequited love pisses you off?”

“It’s not really the unrequited part that gets to me. It’s people being careless with the love of others.”

“Okay, that makes sense. That’s why I caught your attention, you thought I was being careless with Harry’s love?”

“Yes and no. I could see you cared about him, but what you were doing was– well you know what it was.”

“So what was the question?”

“Huh?”

“The one you think will piss me off.”

“I just wanted to make sure you weren’t using him to help you get past the whole Eleanor mess.”

Louis smiled at the apprehensive look on Anteros’ face. “To be fair, I asked myself the same thing. It’s the thing I thought about most for the last week.”

“And your conclusion?”

“I couldn’t imagine a situation in which I would hurt him like that. I’ve been more connected to him than to anyone in my life, including, Eleanor. Even when I was with her, when I needed to feel better about something I’d go to him. When I want a second opinion about something, I go to him. When I just want to have peace and quiet, I go to him. I never feel more settled and home than when I’m with him.”

Anteros ran a finger over the compass on Louis forearm. “I see.”

“Yeah, when we got these, it was a really tough time. Eleanor was really being difficult about the fan stuff, Harry was having to pretend to stand Taylor Swift, it was all fucked up. We needed something to connect us, to each other and to home.”

“And that never struck you as odd?”

“I don’t– not really?”

“You share several sets of tattoos with him, no?”

“Uh, a few, not that many really. Just uh, the compass, and well the oops thing.”

“Oops thing?”

Louis nodded. “Yeah, I got oops and he got hi.”

“What for?”

“I thought you knew everything?”

Anteros chuckled. “Only from when I was actively watching you before I got here, that was only a couple of weeks and what mum told me. Now, oops and hi?”

“They were the first words we said to each other.”

“Oh.”

“What?”

“Nothing.” Anteros waved a hand. “Perfectly reasonable. Anything else?”

“No, why?”

“Are you sure?”

“I think I know what my own tattoos mean?’

“What about your arrow?”

Louis rubbed the forearm bearing the tattoo. “What about it?”

“Harry gets a heart on his bicep and shortly thereafter you get an arrow on your forearm.” 

“Yeah.”

“That’s all you have to say about it, yeah? You realise where the hearts and arrows thing come from, right?” He held up his bow.

“What do you want me to say?”

“There’s no connection there?”

Louis shrugged. “It is what it is.” 

Anteros laughed. “Speaking of which. . . “

“That really was just a matter of us liking them off the same sheet.”

“Of course it was.”

“Look, I admit, we have some tattoos that help connect us. They’re important to both of us. The others, a couple are coincidence and maybe it was subconscious with the arrow thing, I don’t know.”

“You’ve been in love with him for a very long time, haven’t you.”

Louis just blinked at him for a moment, then smiled wide and bright. “I– I really have, haven’t I?” 

 

**********

 

The next morning Louis bounced onto a sleeping Harry. “Wake up, Harold!”

Harry rolled over, opened one eye and glared up at him. “Is the hotel on fire?”

“What? No!”

“Are you bleeding to death?”

“I– what?”

“Did my mum call?”

“What the hell are you on about?”

Harry shoved Louis off the bed. “It’s seven o’clock in the morning.”

Louis knelt beside the bed and propped his chin on his hands grinning into Harry sleepy face. “I got something to tell you.” He singsonged.

“Louuuu, I’m sleeping.” Harry whined.

Louis got up and crawled into the warm bed.

“If you touch me with your cold feet, I will not be responsible for my actions.” Harry warned his voice rough with sleep.

Louis snuggled up to Harry’s back. “I have something really important–“ he stopped when he heard Harry snore softly. “Well then.” He propped himself up on his elbow and looked down at Harry’s sleeping face. He smiled at the curl that had escaped the confines of its tie and moved it off Harry’s cheek. “It can wait.” He settled down into the bed and went to sleep. 

When Louis woke up it was to amused green eyes. “Hi.”

Harry’s smile widened. “You’re ridiculous, you know that?”

“It’s been mentioned.” Louis sat up. “What time is it?”

“Just about ten.” Harry threw the blanket back and got out of bed. “Call down for food?” He flipped switch of the electric kettle before heading to the bathroom.

Louis stared at the closed door for moment before grabbing the house phone and ordering them breakfast. 

By the time Harry came out of the bathroom, freshly shaved, towel low on his hips, curls dripping in his eyes, the tea was brewed and their breakfast had just arrived. Louis smirked at the spellbound waiter. “Y’alright mate.”

The poor waiter tore his gaze from Harry’s back. “Uh, yes sir, your- er breakfast, um, please enjoy.” He stumbled as he left trying to get one last look at Harry.

Louis waited until the door closed behind the befuddled young man before laughing. “Jesus, H, you coulda killed that poor guy.”

Harry turned around, clothes in hand. “What?”

“Ts’one of my favourite things about you. Most of the time you’re completely oblivious.”

“What? What are you talking about?” Harry ran a towel over his hair, then pulled on a t-shirt.

Louis just grinned at him. “Never mind. Food?”

Harry dropped the towel and pulled on a pair of tracksuit bottoms. “Thanks.” 

Louis just shook his head at the complete lack of modesty. “I ordered your usual.”

Harry lifted the cover off one of the dishes and smiled when he saw the selection of fruits and a bowl of granola. “Perfect.” He sat down at the table. “So, not that I mind having breakfast with you but why were you breaking into my room at seven am?”

“Wasn’t breaking in.” Louis protested. “You gave me a key!” He grinned cheekily.

“Menace.” Harry took a sip of his tea. “Okay, so why did you decide to _pay me a visit_ at seven am?”

“Much better.” Louis dug into what passed for a full English breakfast. “I had something I wanted to tell you. I woke up early and didn’t want to wait.”

“Okay.” Harry watched Louis eat for a few more minutes. “Are you planning on telling me, or do you want me to guess.”

Louis grinned. “You’d never guess. Eat up, I’ll tell you when we’re finished.”

Harry sighed and dug into his own breakfast. They had just about finished when there was a knock on the door. Harry opened it to reveal Paul. 

“Have you see– “ He spotted Louis at the table. “Good, I was hoping I wouldn’t have to hunt everywhere for you. We leave in twenty.”

Harry looked over at the clock beside the bed. “Shit, sorry, Paul, I didn’t realise how late it had gotten.”

Louis scrambled for his shoes. “Dammit, I still have to shower and finish packing.” He turned to Harry. “We’ll talk later, yeah?”

Harry waved him off. “Go, get your shit together before we have to leave without you.”

“Love you!” Louis bolted down the hallway leaving a bemused Harry behind.


	8. You and I

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything comes together nicely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A massive thank you to my betas/Britpickers  
> [Jess](http://thisismyoneluckyprize.tumblr.com/) and [ittybird](http://ittybird.tumblr.com/)
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr at [Fuzzypurplestuff](http://fuzzypurplestuff.tumblr.com/)

It wasn’t until after they had arrived in Philadelphia, done sound check and had something to eat that Harry and Louis were able to find a moment alone. They were backstage at the venue having just met with a few fans from Make-a-Wish and were waiting to go onstage, when Louis pulled Harry into the dressing room they shared and locked the door behind them. 

“Lou, we’re going on in just a few–“ 

“Yeah, yeah, I know, but I haven’t had a chance to talk to you alone since this morning.”

“Can’t it wait until after–?”

“No! No, I want to tell you now.”

“Okay.” Harry dropped onto the sofa. “Hit me.”

Suddenly Louis was nervous. What had seemed like a great idea at seven that morning and had continued to be a great idea all day, now seemed a bit like the worst idea he’d ever had. “Er- I um.” He paced back and forth across the room. Trying to imagine the bollocking he would get from Anteros if he chickened out. He cleared his throat. “I, well, you see. . .”

Harry stood and reeled Louis in as made another lap of the room. “Lou, just tell me. After everything we’ve been through, especially in the last week, how bad could it be?”

Louis looked up and met Harry’s eyes. “You’re right.”

“Well, yeah.”

Louis chuckled. “Git.” He reached up and traced a finger down the side of Harry’s face. “It really is ridiculous how beautiful you are.”

Harry’s cheeks flushed pink. “I– Lou, what’s going on?”

“I’m in love with you.”

All colour drained from Harry’s face. “Wh–“

“Shh, let me finish. Last night I was talking to– to um, well I was thinking about everything that’s happened, and how I feel when I’m with you. How even when I was with her, I still came to you with the important stuff. How when I’m with you, I feel happier than with any other person I’ve ever known.” He placed both hands on Harry’s chest. “I’ve always known I’m attracted to you, but once I let myself think about the way I feel when we’re together, and more importantly when we’re not, made me realise it was more than just being attracted to a gorgeous guy. I love you.” He laughed. “I’m in love with you and probably always have been.” He watched Harry’s pale face carefully. “You going to say something?”

“No.” Harry dropped a rather chaste kiss on Louis’ lips. "I’m not completely convinced I’m not dreaming this." Another soft kiss, this one a little less chaste. Both hands came up to cup Louis’ face. 

At first the kiss was light and coaxing. Then Harry’s hands shifted, moving from Louis’ face, down his back to draw him close. Lost in the kiss, Louis moved his hands from Harry’s chest, to his shoulders then up around his neck, his fingers tangling in the curls he found there.

Harry drew Louis further into his arms, deepening their contact. "Louis," he breathed running his hand up his spine.

Sighing Louis returned his caresses, losing himself in the sensations he was creating. "God, Haz," he moaned softly.

As Harry explored the contours of Louis’ back and waist, he brought one hand up to tangle in his hair. "Lou," he whispered breaking the kiss he pressed his forehead to Louis’. "God, I love you."

The spell was broken by someone hammering on the dressing room door. Louis had to clear his throat twice before yelling. “WHAT?”

“What do you mean what?” Liam’s voice was muffled by the door. “We’re going on!”

“Yeah, okay. Hang on we’ll be right there.” Louis looked up into Harry’s bright eyes. “My timing could have been better.”

“Never a bad time to hear you love me.”

“You, are a sap.”

Harry nodded happily. Then fixing his head-scarf grinned at Louis and flung open the door to reveal their scowling band-mates . “S’gonna be a great show!”

“If we ever get out there.” Liam grumped.

Louis bopped Liam on the nose with a mischievous grin. “Philadelphia isn’t gonna know what hit them!”

 

**********

 

“Well, that went well.”

“I’m not sure what it says about me that you don’t even startle me anymore.” Louis smirked at Anteros.

“Well, most likely that you expected to see me. I’m not sure I expected to see you though.”

“I’m just here to grab my things.”

“Sharing a room are we.” Anteros asked archly.

“Shut up, nobody likes a know-it-all god.” Louis laughed. “Well, no, I guess most people do, don’t they?”

Anteros nodded. “Yeah, it seems to make them happy to believe us infallible.” 

“Well, you know, Gods.” Louis zipped his suitcase closed and turned to face Anteros. “I want to thank you.”

“Not necessary.”

“It is though. When you got here, I was in a relationship with a girl who not only didn’t love me, but was hired to keep me under control. I was shutting myself away bit by bit to please her, I was an idiot.”

“You couldn’t have known what they were up to.”

“But I didn’t have to cave into every unreasonable demand she made.” Louis sat on the bed. “So thank you. For giving me a good hard shove to make me see I was being a fool. Even before she revealed herself. If it wasn’t for you. . .”

“Stop blaming yourself. This wasn’t a normal relationship, she was intentionally hitting your hot buttons, she knew exactly what to say and what to do to get what she wanted from you. Wanting to make the person you’re in a relationship with happy, isn’t a crime. You were starting to see the inequity there. You may have come to the same place by yourself.”

Louis arched one sceptical brow. “Hmm, but would it have been too late? What kind of damage would I have done?”

“Well, you got there. It just took a bit of prodding.”

“Just a bit. So thanks, for all of it.”

“You’re welcome, Louis.” Anteros stood and spread his wings, stretching his arms over his head. “Well, I should be off.”

Louis looked up, startled. “You’ve never said that before.”

“What, good-bye?”

“Yeah.”

“Well that’s because I was never really leaving before, I’m done here now.”

“Oh.”

“You and Harry are well on your way to happily ever after. So my work is complete.”

“I guess.” Louis fidgeted with the hem of his t-shirt. 

“You gonna miss me?”

“You know, I think I really am. You’ve been a pain in the backside, but a pretty good friend besides.”

“I’m actually going to miss you too.” Anteros hugged Louis close, wrapping his wings around them. “If you ever want my help, you can always just call my name. I can always hear anyone who needs me.”

Louis returned the hug. “That’s good to know.”

Anteros stepped back. “Treat him well. But more importantly, let him treat you well and treat yourself well. Don’t forget that you are just as important in your relationship as he is.”

“Yes, sir.”

“Be happy, Louis.” With that Anteros shimmered out of sight.

 

**********

 

“Come on in, apparently, it’s a party!” Harry greeted Louis when he arrived at his hotel room.

“What?”

“Yeah, everyone’s here.” Harry shot a look at Louis’ bags. “Uh. . .”

“I’ll leave them out here for now.” Louis slipped into the room to find not only the other boys but their band, Sophia Alberto, Cal, Lou, Liam’s bodyguard, Paddy, Zayn’s bodyguard, Preston, their stylist, Caroline and their bus driver, Don. “Hey guys!”

“LOUIS!” Niall cheered. “Have a beer, mate!”

Louis looked at Harry who just shrugged. “Don’t ask me. They just showed up.”

“Thanks, Nialler, but I’m good for now.” The last thing Louis wanted was to get drunk.

“Ah, c’mon, Lou.” Zayn tried to press a bottle into his hand.

“Nah, I’m good.” He moved to stand next to Harry. “So, what’s the occasion?”

“No occasion.” Cal answered for the group. “Just thought we’d have a few.”

“Ah, okay. Sounds– okay then.” He exchanged an exasperated look with Harry.

“So, any of you got big plans for the break?” Josh asked, as he opened another beer.

“As little as I can get away with.” Niall put his feet up on the bed. “Lots of sleeping, and TV and hanging with friends. How ‘bout you guys?”

“Yeah, sound about right.” Zayn agreed. “Hopefully time with Perrie and the fam.”

They all started talking about their upcoming break and what they had planned when Harry stood up. “Okay, you know what, I’m feeling a bit poorly.”

Lou instantly got to her feet. “Oh, are you okay, love. Can we get you something?” She pressed her palm to his face. “You don’t feel warm. Was it something you ate?”

“No! Just. . . “ he looked around the room and saw a few smirks directed his way. “I hate you all, get out!”

They all burst out laughing. Cal pointed at Zayn. “I told you Harry’d be the one to break. Pay up.”

“Shit, I was sure it’d be Tommo.” Zayn handed Cal some cash as did everyone else bar Lou. 

“Me too.” Niall agreed as he forked over his losses. “Harry’s waited four years, what’s another couple a hours.”

“He’s waited four years, that–“

“What the fuck?” Louis exploded.

“Yes, Louis?” Alberto grinned widely at his irritated friend. 

“You’re all fired!” Louis crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“You can’t fire me.” Liam protested.

“Or me.” Niall and Zayn chimed at the same time.

Louis turned to Harry when he heard him start to chuckle. “You think this is funny?”

“Well, yeah. Apparently we’re not as covert as we think we are.”

“Do yourselves’ a favour, boys.” Caroline chuckled as they all started to gather their things. “Watch a few videos from the show tonight and see just how _covert_ you were being.” 

Don patted Louis on the back. “Yeah, covert isn’t exactly the word I would use. I’m pretty sure they could see Harry glowing from space. But congratulations you two.” He hugged them both and left the room still chuckling.

Paddy, Preston, Caroline, and the musicians all followed him offering hugs and congratulations as they left. That left Cal, Lou, Sophia, Alberto, and the boys. Lou pulled Harry into a tight hug. “I’m so happy for you, love.”

Harry hugged her back. “Thank you.” He pressed a kiss to her temple. “For everything.”

She moved to Louis. “I’m so sorry for what they did to you, but am really happy you found him.”

Louis squeezed her tight, knowing she’d been Harry’s rock for a very long time. “Me to, love, me too.”

Cal slapped them both on the back, then drew them into a tight hug. “Be good to each other.”

“We will.” They answered together, exchanging happy grins. 

Lou hugged them each one more time before leaving with Cal. Sophia just hugged them both tightly, her eyes shining, then kissed Liam and followed Lou and Cal out the door. 

“I’m not on duty tonight, but you know you can call me if you need anything." Alberto offered his hand to Louis only to be pulled into a hug. 

“Thanks, mate.” 

The big bodyguard nodded and started to leave when Niall’s voice stopped him. “Oi, ‘Berto, you do realise this means you’re probably going to be responsible for Harry now too.”

Alberto sighed. “I’m not too young to retire, am I?”

“Heeeey.” Harry protested.

“Don’t hey me, Styles, you’re a bigger security risk than the rest of them put together.” Alberto tried to look stern but lost it at the put out look on Harry’s face. “We’ll sit down with Paul and discuss security issues tomorrow. You boys have a good night.” He left leaving only the five members of One Direction in the room. 

“You lot, are terrible people, you know that, right?” Harry admonished his friends.

They all grinned unrepentantly. “We, are the best friends in the world!” Zayn disagreed.

Louis shook his head. “No, if you were good friends, you wouldn’t still be lazing about our hotel room.”

“Oooh.” Niall giggled. “It’s our hotel room now, is it?” 

“Out. All of you. Go away.” Harry made a shooing motion with his hands.

Niall stood first. “Now, you two make sure you’re safe, we don’t want any little Louis or Harry’s running ar–oof. What’d ya do that for?”

“Out!” Harry pointed at the door.

Nial grinned unashamedly. “Happy for ya, mate.” He hugged Harry tight. Then moved to Louis. “You treat our little boy right-”

Louis pulled him into a hug. “Fuck off.”

Niall cackled, grabbed the beer and bounded out the door. “Fifa in my room!”

Liam grabbed them both in tight hugs. “I’m really happy for both of you.”

Louis grunted. “Thanks, Li.” 

Liam left and Zayn stood and pulled Harry into his arms. He felt the taller man begin to shake. “Ah, Haz.” He rubbed Harry’s back.

“I wouldn’t have got through this without you, you know that, right?” Harry voice cracked.

“You’d have done just fine. You’re one of the strongest people I know.” Zayn soothed. He stepped back and cupped Harry’s face in both hands. “You deserve to be happy.” He kissed Harry on the forehead and turned to Louis. “So do you.”

Louis grinned. “I know.”

Zayn shook his head and hugged Louis. “You’re an idiot. But I love you both.” He headed for the door. “Have fun.”

And they were alone.

“Hi.” Harry’s smile was as wide and bright as Louis had ever seen it.

“Hey, you.” Louis returned the smile. “You were in rare form out there tonight.”

“I felt really good, best I’ve ever felt on stage.”

“Yeah. Any particular reason–Mpff” Louis’ teasing was cut off by Harry’s lips. 

Harry pulled away with a smack. “Do you know what it took for me not to do that on stage.”

Louis started to laugh. “You, are such an idiot.”

“Do you think we can do this? Us I mean? It won’t be easy, they’re never going to let us come out.”

“Well, it’s not really going to be their decision much longer, is it?” 

Harry grinned. “This is true.”

“We get to set the conditions from now on so. . .” Louis sat on the bed and pulled Harry down beside him. “Would you want to come out?”

“I don’t know. I really don’t want to be in even more of a fish bowl. But it would be nice not to have to hide who I am.”

“Yeah, I get that, believe me. I also get the fish bowl thing.”

“Hmmm.” Harry mused. “I think for now, and the near future, I’d like to just live our lives. Not officially come out, but not worry too much about how tightly closed the closet door is either.” 

“Can I ask why?”

“You can always ask why. I just worry, that when we switch and are trying to change the public’s perception of us, it could take over the story. Instead of becoming that band you should listen to because their music really is great, we’d become that boy-band with the gay couple.”

“Hmm.”

“You don’t agree?”

Louis shrugged one shoulder. “I guess I’m surprised you feel that way?”

“Really, why?”

“You’ve always been as vocal as you can be in your support of LGBTQ rights?”

“And you think this is me backing away?”

“Is it?”

“No, because if we come out now we’re just a stereotype, a punch line. Everyone expects a boy band to have a gay member.”

“Okay?”

“But if we manage to change our image, change our target demographic, we might actually have a real voice.”

“You don’t think you have a voice now?” Louis asked incredulously.

Harry stood and went to stare out the window. “I know I have a voice, but is it taken seriously? Like I said, to most people I’m just another boy-bander, like somehow, because we make pop music that girls like, it means we’re brainless. Who cares what I have to say, I’m the equivalent of candy floss.”

“No, babe, that’s just– no.” Louis went to him and wrapped his arms around his chest from behind. “Our fans listen to you. When you’re supportive it makes a difference to them”

“I know. But I can make more of a difference if I’m taken seriously as something other than a pair of dimples.”

Louis hated Harry’s defeated tone. “I want to ask you something.” He turned Harry around to face him. “When you were trying to figure out who you were, would it have made a difference to fourteen, fifteen year old Harry to have one of his idols come out?”

Harry shrugged. “Maybe, but I don’t want to be more of a joke than I already am. Oooh look what a shocker, a gay guy in a boy-band.”

Louis drew him down into his arms. “I don’t understand, you’ve never had a problem speaking up for what you believe or worrying about what people will think about–“ Louis stopped and stepped back. “You’re worried about me.”

“I–“ Harry sighed and sat on the bed. “Yes and no.”

“Haz.” Louis moved to stand between Harry knees and placed his hands on his shoulders. “Despite the way I’ve behaved, I’ve never thought there was anything wrong with being bi.” He shook his head when Harry made to speak. “I know, I’ve been such a git about it. But it I was never bothered about the rumours, it was all part of their grand plan, I was just desperate to make her happy.” He tipped Harry’s chin up and placed a soft kiss on his lips. “So, if you want us to be out, I can do that. Happily and proudly.”

Harry wrapped his arms around Louis’ waist pulling him close and laying his head on his chest. “Thank you, and I’m glad to hear that. I was a bit– you’d never said anything and well. . .”

Louis ran his hands through Harry’s hair. “Yeah. So how about this, we have to stay quiet now, we know this. Once we move over to Irving we sit down with him and decide what we think is the best way for us to come out.”

“I just want to make sure you know, I would love nothing more than to scream from the rooftops that you’re mine.” Harry looked up at Louis and any doubts Louis may have had were erased when he saw the love in the other man’s eyes.

“Me to.” Louis cupped Harry’s face and kissed him.

Harry wrapped his arms around Louis pulling him closer. 

Louis tangled his hands in Harry’s curls and deepened the kiss, but pulled away offended when Harry began to giggle. “Not exactly the reaction I was hoping for.”

Harry continued to laugh, waving his hand at Louis as he obviously tried to get himself under control. “I’m sorry, Lou. You just have no idea how long I’ve wanted this, I just– I can’t. . .” 

His smile was the brightest and happiest Louis had ever seen. “I wish we hadn’t spent so much time being stupid.” Louis crawled up on his knees until he was straddling Harry’s lap. “I wish I’d been paying closer attention at Leeds.”

Harry breath hitched. “Uh, yeah, I–.” He cleared his throat. “I should have just laid one on you in the tent.”

Louis smirked and nuzzled Harry’s throat, loving that he was unsettling his famously flirty friend. “Yeah, you know me, no need to be subtle.” He nipped Harry’s ear lobe causing the other man to actually whimper.

“I was seventeen and- hmm, I– uh, young and stupid.” Harry breathed.

Louis slipped his hands up under Harry’s shirt. “I think stupid pretty much covers both of us.” He felt Harry begin to tremble under his hands. “Haz?”

“Hmmm?”

“Is there any particular reason you’re keeping your hands to yourself?” Louis kissed his way up Harry’s throat before sitting back to look at him. He was surprised at what he saw. “Harry?”

Harry smiled, eyes bright. “Do you know what it’s like to love someone for four years. To spend almost every day with them, to have resigned yourself and come to terms with the fact that you are going to have to get over them. To work so hard at that, but for it to be utterly futile.” He took a deep breath. “Now, here you are, I get to hold you and tell you I love you, and that makes you happy. I- I just– it’s a bit. . .” He trailed off looking down.

“A bit overwhelmed, yeah?” Louis ran a hand through Harry’s hair. “Look at me, love.” Harry looked up. “I wish I could go back and make different choices. I wish I’d been smart enough to see that you loved me.” He grinned. “I wish you’d been smart enough to realise how dense I am and just kissed me. We’re here now, and being here with you makes me stupid happy.” He ran a finger down Harry’s cheek, gently stroking the place he knew the dimple to be. “I’m not going to vanish into thin air if you touch me.”

“You always have before.” Harry smiled sadly at Louis’ confusion. “I’ve had dreams that look almost exactly like this. I always wake up alone.”

Louis kissed him, pouring everything he felt for this beautiful man into it. “I love you. Know that, believe it. And just so you know, now that I have you, good luck trying to get rid of me. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but I can be, hmm, what’s the word I’m looking for?” He snapped his fingers with a grin. “Tenacious, that’s it!”

“You’re a git is what you are.” Harry chuckled and pulled Louis forward into his chest. 

Louis’ knees slipped and he landed flush against Harry. “Well then. Hello there.”

Harry quirked an eyebrow. “You said you wanted me to touch you.” He ran his hand down Louis back to his ass, grabbing a hand full he squeezed.

Louis laughed. “You’re still just as cheeky as the day I met you.”

“Hmmm.” Harry leaned in and place a kiss on Louis collarbone. “Have I ever told you how sexy I think this tat is?” He pulled the neck of Louis t-shirt down slightly, pouted when it didn’t give him the access he wanted, then gave up and pulled it over Louis’ head and tossed it aside. Humming his approval he ran his tongue across the It Is What It Is tattoo.

“No.” Louis gasped. “I don’t think you’ve mentioned it.”

“No?” He kissed his way up Louis’ throat. “That seems a shame.” 

“Well I’m glad you like it.” Louis tugged until he succeeded in pulling Harry’s shirt off. “Me, I have a thing for birds.” He scratched his nails lightly over the swallows that decorated Harry’s collarbone then dipped his head tp press kisses to each bird. He lifted his head when Harry chuckled. “What?”

“Do you have a favourite?”

“A favourite what?”

Harry tilted his chin down at his chest. “The swallows, do you have a favourite?’

“A fav– what are you on about?”

“They’re not the same.”

“I can see that.” Louis tapped the left one. “I like this one.”

Harry grinned. “Good, that’s good.” He leaned in to kiss Louis again.

Louis braced a hand on his chest. “Not so fast. What do you care which of your birds I–, oh god, they’re right aren’t they, the fans?” 

Harry batted his eyelashes innocently. “Hmm?”

Louis dropped his head onto Harry shoulder, chuckling. “I just don’t know what to do with you.”

“Well, if you’re open to suggestions. . .”

Louis laughed harder. “I can probably come up with an idea or two on my own.” He raised his head. “I’ve never done this.”

“I know, you told me. It–“

“No, I don’t mean that, well that too, but I’ve never laughed like this, played like this. Not about sex, it’s always been so, I don’t know, serious?”

Harry grabbed Louis’ ass with both hands and pulled him back flush against him. “Nope, we’re gonna laugh and play and be as ridiculous as we want to be. I have every intention of enjoying the hell out of you.”

“Ooooh, I like the sound of that, tell me more.” Louis draped his arms over Harry’s shoulders. 

“Hmm, I think I’ll start with. . .” Harry ran his lips up Louis neck to his ear and whispered. “Making sure you’re so relaxed you can’t feel your bones.”

“That–“ Louis swallowed hard, his laughter vanished. “That sounds like something I might enjoy.” He gripped Harry’s shoulder tight.

“Oh, believe me, you’ll enjoy it.” Harry nipped along Louis’ jaw before he got to his mouth. He let his lips hover over Louis’ for a moment, sharing his breath. “We both will.” 

The kiss was hot and wet and messy and Louis had never felt anything like it. Wrapping his legs around Harry’s waist had the happy consequence of drawing him even closer. He ran his nails up Harry’s back and was thrilled to feel him shiver under his hands. “Oooof.” Louis was surprised to find himself on his back as Harry turned and laid him on the bed settling comfortably between Louis’ legs.

Harry began kissing his way down Louis’ chest, when he suddenly stopped. “Shit.”

Louis propped himself up on his elbows and stared down at Harry. “What? What’s wrong?” He panted, his voice embarrassingly high.

Harry rolled off him and flopped onto his back laughing. “There’s only so far this can go tonight.”

Louis rolled up onto one elbow so he was looking down at Harry. “That’s okay, if you’re not re–“

Harry barked out a laugh. “Jesus, Lou, should I be insulted that you didn’t notice that I’m more than ready?”

“Oh, believe me I noticed, love. So what’s the problem.”

Harry shrugged sheepishly. “I don’t have anything.”

“Anyth– Oh. Why not?”

“What do you mean? Why would I?”

“Well, what if you met someone.”

Harry shook his head vehemently. “Never, when we’re on tour, not when you’re here.”

Louis sat up. “Really? That’s a long time to go without.”

“Not really, you did it.”

“I–“ Louis thought about what Harry’d said. “True.” He laid back down. “Well, that may delay our ultimate plans for at least a bit, but it doesn’t mean we have to sit and knit.” He ran his hand down Harry’s torso to his belt. “I may not have any experience but I promise I can make up for it with enthusiasm.” He moved his hand lower and was gratified to see Harry abdomen jump in response. 

“Enthusiasm is good, we can work with that.” Harry breathed, pulling Louis across his chest.

“Not to mention I’m a very fast learner, especially if I’m given examples to work from.” Louis smirked down into Harry’s smiling face.

“Oh, you’ll have examples all right.” Harry flipped them over so he was once again hovering over Louis. “I’m going to example you until you can’t see straight.” He purred into Louis’ ear while reaching for his belt.

“Yay!” Louis squeaked before Harry once again stole his breath with a kiss.


	9. Strong (epilogue)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Happily ever after.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A massive thank you to my beta/Britpickers  
> [Jess](http://thisismyoneluckyprize.tumblr.com/) and [Ittybird](http://ittybird.tumblr.com/)
> 
> You can find me on Tumblr at [Fuzzypurplestuff](http://fuzzypurplestuff.tumblr.com/)
> 
> I am not kind to Eleanor in this story, if that bothers you, you should probably not read it.

“Boo, who’s Eleanor?”

Louis looked up sharply from where he was working at the piano. “What?”

His fifteen year old daughter Jocelyn stood in the doorway, her tablet in her hand and a worried expression on her face. “Who is Eleanor Calder?” She asked softly.

Louis beckoned her closer. “Where did you hear that name?”

Jocelyn walked to where her father was sitting and showed him her tablet.

Louis let out a shuddering breath. There on the screen was a bad memory, a picture taken twenty-seven years earlier, during the 2012 Olympics. “I’m going to get your dad, and we’ll talk about this, okay?”

Jocelyn nodded, looking close to tears. “Okay.”

Louis pressed a kiss to her forehead. “Don’t fret, Smudge.”

He hurried down the stairs to where he knew his husband was working. “Haz?” He said quietly as he entered the studio, he hated interrupting Harry while he was writing but this was too important.

Harry looked up from the guitar he was holding. “Hey. What’s up?’

Louis sighed. “Smudge found a picture of me and Eleanor from the Olympics.”

“Well, shit.” 

“Yeah, pretty much.” Louis shrugged helplessly. “She’s waiting for us, I told her we’d explain.”

“Shit, yeah, I guess we have to.” Harry put the guitar aside and stood. “This should be a fun conversation. I just wish Owen was here so we didn’t have to do this more than once.”

“Me too, but I’m pretty sure Smudge isn’t going to be willing to wait until he gets back from summer school.” Louis smiled thinking about their stubborn daughter. They started up the stairs. “I guess we should have known. There’s an awful lot of crap out there. It’s just, it’s been eighteen years, I guess I hoped most of the One Direction stuff had disappeared.” 

“Not likely. I’m just glad she didn’t find any of what was written about me back then.” Harry shuddered at the thought. 

They rounded the corner into the music room to find Jocelyn looking at her tablet, tears streaming down her face. Harry rushed over to her. “Oh, baby girl, no tears.” 

Jocelyn turned huge, wet, green, eyes on Harry. “Taylor Swift, Daddy?”

“Oh for fu–“

“Lou!” Harry snapped. He sat beside Jocelyn on the sofa and took the tablet from her hand. “There are a few things we should probably explain.”

“There’s really nothing to cry about though, Smudge.” Louis wiped a tear off her cheek. “I promise.”

“But, Boo, it said that Eleanor person was your girlfriend, for like, years!” She glared at Harry switching with adolescent speed from sorrow to anger. “Taylor Swift?”

Harry sighed. “Yeah, Taylor Swift.” He held up a hand when she started to speak. “But there is a very good explanation for what you read today.”

“You and Boo said you met when you were sixteen, you said you fell in love with him on the X-Factor.” She turned to Louis. “You said Daddy was the love of your life!”

Louis nodded. “We did say those things and they are the truth.”

“But–" Jocelyn interrupted. 

“Joss, you have to let us explain, little one.” Harry soothed.

Jocelyn flopped back in her seat and crossed her arms. “Fine, explain away.”

“That’s enough attitude, young lady.” Harry said sternly.

Jocelyn uncrossed her arms but her jaw remained set.

“Better. Now, you know we met on the X-Factor, when we got put in One Direction with your uncles.” Jocelyn nodded sulkily. “Well, what you don’t know is that your Boo had a girlfriend when we met.”

“Did you love him even though he had a girlfriend?”

Harry flushed slightly. “I was sixteen and a bit of an idiot.”

“You were adorable.” Louis grinned.

“I had never been in love. I’d never felt anything close to what I felt for Louis. It was scary and overwhelming and wonderful and heartbreaking all at the same time. I knew he had a girlfriend of course, but I couldn’t help how I felt about him.”

Louis took over. “We had an immediate connection. I felt like I’d known Harry my whole life within days, within a week we were talking about moving in together no matter what happened with the X-Factor.”

“Daddy was sixteen! He hadn’t even finished sixth form!”

Harry snickered. “I hadn’t even _started_ sixth form.” His tone turned more serious. “But what I felt for your dad happened really quickly. One day I’d found the best friend I’d ever had the next I was having feelings I’d never had before, for a boy I knew had a girlfriend.

Jocelyn’s eyes once again filled and Harry pulled her close. “Oh, lovey, it all worked out. We’re here, yeah?”

Jocelyn swiped at the tears. “I know but it’s so sad, you were only a little bit older than me and you must have been so sad and scared.”

“It was tough, but we got through it.” 

Jocelyn looked at Louis. “But Boo had a girlfriend?”

“I did, for the first four years we were in One Direction, I had a girlfriend.” 

“And this Eleanor, she was one of them?”

Harry snorted. “She was _the_ girlfriend.”

“How long were you with her?”

Louis sighed. “Almost three years.”

“Three years!” Jocelyn gasped. 

“It’s not a nice story and it’s very private and none of your business.” Louis held up his hand. “No. Let’s just say those times were very different. Peoples attitudes towards those of us who aren’t straight were quite different than they are now.”

“How were they so different?”

Louis took a deep breath and blew it out. “Let’s just say the people in charge of our lives thought I seemed too gay.”

Jocelyn leapt to her feet. “They actually said that?” She yelled.

“Settle down, Boudica, the war is over.” Harry pulled her back down.

“But–"

“Let him finish.”

“Fine.”

Louis laughed. “You should have seen your dad’s reaction when he found out.”

Jocelyn raised an eyebrow at Harry. “Oh really.”

“Oh, hush, you. What did you think I would do. They were so blatantly homophobic about it. Louis was a bit camp–“

“To be fair, it was more than a bit, love.” Louis smirked at his husband.

“A bit camp, so they just had to shut that down. Couldn’t have anyone getting the idea that any of us might be gay.”

“That’s just stupid.”

“I agree, to an extent.” Louis held up a hand. “Let me finish. I agree it sucks that they felt they needed to hide who we were. But their job was to sell us, and our music. And we were out for a majority of the time we were in One Direction, just not the first five years.”

“So it was for the money.” Jocelyn asked, distaste dripping from every word.

“That money you’re sneering at, paid for this house, the one in Cheshire, that horse you adore, that posh school you love so much, all those holidays at the houses in L.A. and Australia and wherever else we feel like trekking off to, and all the other things that you and your brother enjoy that most people can only dream about.” Harry pointed out.

“Please. You’ve had more hits since One Direction ended than you ever had with them.”

Harry nodded. “Yes, we’ve been very lucky that people like what we’ve done since then. But, it’s very unlikely I would have the career I’ve had, if I hadn’t already been in One Direction.”

“But you’re, like, the biggest star in the world!” Jocelyn argued.

“I don’t know if I’d go that far.”

“I would.” Louis interrupted with a cheeky grin.

Harry shot him a look. “I’ve been very lucky to have a great career since the group ended. But, it’s very unlikely any of this would have happened if I hadn’t been in One Direction. For one thing, who would I write songs with and who would produce my albums if I hadn’t met your Boo and your Uncle Liam?”

“Please, Boo said he knew the minute he saw you, that you were going to be a star, and he was just a stupid, teenage boy.”

“Oi!” Louis protested.

Jocelyn raised an eyebrow at him. “Which part isn’t true?”

“If I was so stupid, how did I know Harry was going to be a massive star? Hmmm, miss I’m-so-smart.”

“Did anyone who met him back then doubt it for one second?”

Louis nodded. “Yep, pretty much everyone who saw him crapping himself at the idea of having a solo.”

Jocelyn shrugged. “So what, he still gets super nervous before shows.” She glared at them both. “I get that we have a great life because of all the money you guys earned, but it still doesn’t make what they did right.”

“No, it wasn’t.” Harry agreed. “But there was nothing we could do about it. When I told them I was gay they told me if I told anyone they’d kick me out.”

“That’s gross. You were a kid and they basically threatened you to keep you in the closet!”

“It was a long time ago, baby. Like I said, things have changed.” Harry smiled at Louis over her head. 

“So what happened? Where did this Eleanor person come from and don’t think I forgot about _Taylor  
Swift_.” She shot Harry a particularly disgusted look.

“There had been rumours about us from day one.” Harry explained. “So when it became clear we were going to be able to make a move for America, they had to shut down those rumours.” 

“So, we both got new girlfriends.” Louis smirked. “Well, I got a girlfriend, your dad got a reputation.”

Jocelyn turned to look at Harry. “What’s that mean?”

“Thanks, Lou.” Harry glared at his husband. “It means that they started linking me to pretty much every girl I came within a metre of.”

“Oh, don’t forget Caroline!” Louis added gleefully.

“Who’s Caroline?” Jocelyn asked as Harry snarled at Louis over her head.

“Caroline Flack.” Louis answered helpfully when it became clear Harry had no intention of doing so.

“But she’s, like, in her sixties!” Jocelyn protested.

“Well she wasn’t then!” Harry argued.

“Well you were, what, seventeen? She had to be in her thirties. That’s so gross.” Jocelyn screwed up her nose.

“Yes, I was seventeen and she was thirty-two, not a hundred and six.”

Louis started to laugh. “It’s not nice of me to tease. She was doing Harry a huge favour and got a lot of heat from everyone.”

“Yeah, it’s gross, that would be like me dating a thirty year old guy. How would you like that?”

Both Harry and Louis paled. “Never, ever, going to happen.” Harry whispered.

“And why not.” Jocelyn crossed her arms over her chest. “You did it.”

“First because we say so and we are your fathers, second, I never actually dated her. It was all about making people talk, and wow, did they talk.”

“Yeah, because, ew.” She paused for a moment. “I don’t get it. Weren’t you guys like the hottest thing going, why did they need to hook you up with an old lady.”

“She was thirteen years younger that I am right now thank you very much.”

“Yeah, old.”

Harry pulled her in and ruffled her dark curls. “You, are a cheeky brat.”

“I’m my fathers’ daughter.”

“Yeah, I blame Louis too.”

“OI!” 

“So back to why Daddy was dating old ladies and Boo was getting a new girlfriend.”

Harry sighed and rearranged his own curls. “Like I said we were gonna try and make a go in America.”

“So what, they didn’t have gay people in America? Phttt”

Louis snorted. “Youda thought they didn’t the way our American label acted.”

“That’s just stupid.”

“Yes it is, but it was reality back then. You have to remember, Smudge, things have changed a lot since then, things were changing really fast at that time. When we first met, we couldn’t even get married here at home. But more and more performers were feeling–" Louis thought for a moment. “I don’t know, I guess safe is as good a word as any, safe enough to come out. But there was still a career risk involved.”

“Especially if your whole marketing schtick involved making you the dream date of teen girls everywhere.” Harry added.

“Still stupid, if you had girlfriends, you weren’t available either.”

“Actually, before us, most boy-band members were treated like monks. Girls were kept off the radar.”

“Wow, they really thought teenage girls were idiots didn’t they. Did fans really believe that young men had no involvement with women, or men or whatever and were just waiting around until they met the right fan in order to settle down and have babies?”

Louis laughed. “I have no idea what went through the minds of the fans before ours, but I know ours were more than happy to believe, your dad was a–“

“Hey!”

“–busy boy, if it meant he was straight.”

“That makes kind of a twisted sense, but why not give him a girlfriend, like they did you.”

“Because it made for better tabloid stories.” Louis sneered.

“What kind of stories?”

“Never you mind.” Harry fussed. 

“If you don’t tell me I’ll just look it up online.” Jocelyn pressed.

Harry sighed. “There were a lot of stories about me and women, a lot of women.”

“All the women.” Louis teased trying to lighten the mood and instead received a dark look from Harry.

“How many women?” 

“Louis wasn’t far off. Basically, every woman I was ever seen near, and many I wasn’t. I had a lot of female friends, same as now, and I was linked to pretty much all of them at some point.”

“That’s not too bad, that type of thing still happens to singers now.”

“And fans, and others, there were quite literally, hundreds of women.”

“But, you– they couldn’t– you’re like the– how could anyone believe you– I don’t understand? You’re the most relationship oriented person I’ve ever met.”

“He was then too. He was alway surrounded by close friends, many of whom were women, like your Aunty Lou, who would have knocked him silly if he had treated women like toys. Not to mention what your Aunty Gem and Nan would have done.”

Jocelyn shook her head in obvious disgust. “Taylor Swift?”

Harry sighed. “Yes, Jocelyn, Taylor Swift.”

Joss wrinkled her nose in distaste. “Ick.”

“Be nice.” Harry admonished. “That was for publicity.”

“Ick.” Jocelyn repeated.

Louis smothered a laugh and received a glare from his husband. “She wasn’t much more fun then than she is now.”

“So why?”

Harry smiled sadly. “Unfortunately baby girl, it’s a part of the business, even today. Publicity is the name of the game. They wanted to increase our profile in America. She was incredibly successful and willing to do pretty much anything for publicity. . .”

“So nothing’s changed there.”

“Jocelyn.”

“What, that _wardrobe malfunction_ on the Grammy red carpet last year, really? Please.”

Louis stifled another laugh. “We went through some really tough times back then. She was just one of them.”

Harry shuffled closer drawing both Jocelyn and Louis into his arms. “But you know what, everything that happened, brought us to where we are right now. I have your Boo, who makes me happier than I even knew I could be, and I have you and Owen who are my hearts, so I have a really hard time regretting any of it.”

Louis kissed the top of Jocelyn’s head and smiled at Harry. “It may have been a bit of a trial to get here. But I wouldn’t change a single thing. I have everything I could ever have dreamed of.” He leaned over their daughter to share a sweet kiss with the love of his life.

 

**********

 

Louis stood from the piano, groaning when his knee creaked. He looked at the clock on the mantle and realised he had worked the evening away. Harry was doing a late night talk show on Radio 1 and Louis had spent the time working on an arrangement for Harry’s next album. Stretching he climbed the stairs to check in on Jocelyn as he had every night for almost sixteen years. She was sleeping soundly, her window open slightly allowing a soft breeze to cool the room. Louis smiled when he saw the winged shadow by the window. He tilted his head and left his daughters room. He waited a moment in the hall. 

“She’s lovely.” Anteros commented as he followed Louis out of the bedroom.

“What are you doing here?” Louis embraced the young god. Smiling he stood back and took in his old friend. Anteros still looked about sixteen. 

“I just wanted a peek at her. I didn’t plan to stay. I wanted to see your son too but he’s away?”

“Music summer school.” 

“Ah, takes after his fathers then does he?”

“He plays the cello.”

“Oh?”

“Yeah, that was pretty much our reaction too. We gave him a choice of any instrument when he was little, that’s what he picked and he’s brilliant, a real protege.” 

“So you and Harry have yourselves’ a virtuoso instead of a rock star.”

“Well, to be fair, he does play a lot of contemporary stuff on the cello, he’s done some amazing arrangements of some of Harry’s stuff. H actually wants to use him on this new album.”

“Are you going to?”

“Yeah, we will. There’s a great ballad Harry wrote that would be perfect with cello and we wrote one together that would be cool with the power cello thing O does so well.”

“It’s wonderful that you can work with your son like this.” 

“It is, and Smudge, er Jocelyn is helping Zayn with the cover art.”

“How lovely.”

Louis smiled and led him down the hall to a small sitting room. “Can I get you anything?”

Anteros chuckled. “Oh how times have changed. But no, thank you. I can’t stay long, I’m off on another assignment.”

Louis perched on the arm of a chair. “So, what brought you here?”

“My assignment is actually not far from here and in this time, so I thought I’d visit, I wanted to see your kids.” 

“Ah. I’m glad I saw you.”

“Me too. I was a little hesitant to make myself known to you.”

“Why? I’m forever grateful to you.” Louis spread his arms. “I have a life I couldn’t have dreamed of if you hadn’t been a part of it. I feel like I owe you everything.”

“I may have helped point you in the right direction, but you and Harry did all the work. You two, with your love and respect for each other, are the ones who created this beautiful family.”

“Well, I think I owe you a lot, so thank you. For everything you did back then.”

“You’re welcome. Mumsy was quite pleased to see how happy you’ve made Harry.”

Louis chuckled. “You should have seen his face when I told him Aphrodite has a crush on him.”

“I saw the aftermath remember?”

Louis shook his head at the memory. “Shit, has it really been twenty-five years?” Telling Harry that there had been divine intervention in their lives had been a risk, but Louis hadn’t felt right keeping it from him. Harry had scoffed at Louis’ tale thinking he was pulling some sort of joke, until he had called on Anteros. Harry had been uncharacteristically cool toward the god, fearing he may have manipulated Louis in some way. It had taken a great deal of care on Louis part to reassure him that wasn’t the case, that everything he felt for Harry was real and Anteros had only set in motion the means for Louis to realise it.

Anteros smiled softly. “Yes it has.” 

They both turned as they heard the front door open at the same time they heard footsteps coming down the hall indicating Jocelyn was up, likely having heard Harry pull into the drive. 

Anteros stood and hugged Louis. “Be happy, my friend.”

Louis smiled and returned the embrace. “I am.”

Anteros nodded once and shimmered out of sight. 

The End


End file.
